Starlight Cavalry (Sentinels Saga Book 4)

by Linn Schwab

  “You say strange things sometimes,” JoEllen told him.

  “Just trying to share a little Earth humor with you.”

  Karl stepped inside and surveyed the interior. Everything appeared to be just as they’d left it before. For a moment he considered perusing the logbooks in the desk to see what he could learn about the various animal populations. Perhaps there were notes about strange mutations or abnormalities in behavior. But light was already fading quickly, and the lure of sleep was too great too resist.

  He sat down in the same spot he’d slept in the last time, looking forward to a restful night of sleep. A tickle in his throat made him cough a few times. JoEllen looked at him with concern in her eyes. The same look she’d given him earlier on the beach.

  “Did you try to reach them again?” he asked.

  She gave a meek nod. “They’re still too strong for me here.”

  “Well … maybe that will change when we reach the hill. Maybe that’s why those other people used to go there.”

  He closed his eyes and succumbed to sleep, exhausted from another long day of walking. When he woke up in the morning he felt stiffer than usual. He was weak and dizzy, and his back muscles ached. After a few deep breaths he managed to sit up and steady himself until the dizziness receded.

  JoEllen was watching over him as usual, but this time it appeared that she hadn’t left his side to forage for breakfast or cuddly friends. No apples, no seeds, no rabbit or duckling. He took that as a sign that she was eager to leave. Eager to learn what they would find at the hill.

  “Looks like you’re ready to get started,” he observed. “Do you think we’ll make it there sometime before nightfall?”

  “I hope so. It should be easier for us today. We don’t have to walk through the forest to get there.”

  He rubbed his calf muscles and said, “That’s welcome news. Stumbling over tree roots gets old rather quickly.”

  Before they set out across the northern edge of the savannah, JoEllen gathered some apples for them to eat along the way. Karl’s legs felt weak and slightly awkward at the outset, but his strength returned to him by mid morning. By midday, though, he was breathing heavily, and his muscles were growing weaker again. He began to wonder if they were walking uphill, and if the air was growing progressively thinner. But the temperature didn’t feel like it was falling, as one might expect at higher altitudes. At one point he sat down on an exposed piece of rock and scanned the horizon in all directions.

  “All this walking must be catching up with me,” he said. “It feels like we must’ve covered more than half of this continent.” He looked up at the sky and determined sunset was still a few hours off.

  “We’re almost there,” JoEllen assured him. “It shouldn’t be much longer now. Maybe another hour or two.”

  “Alright,” he said. “Just let me catch my breath.” He waited a few moments then got to his feet and prompted JoEllen to continue onward.

  Ahead of them the terrain became more hilly. To the north, the forest began to recede. For the most part JoEllen avoided climbing hills, and plotted a winding course around their bases. Toward evening she stopped at the base of a slope.

  “This is it,” she said. “Should we rest for a while before going up?”

  Karl glanced up toward the summit and placed it as no more than four stories high. Though his muscles were already burning from exhaustion, he summoned the resolve to wave her onward. “It’s just one small hill,” he said. “Just a little bit of climbing. I’ll make it to the top even if it means I have to crawl part of the way.”

  His display of fortitude drew a measured smile from JoEllen. The first smile he’d seen from her in more than a day now. She started up the slope. He forced himself to follow. She reached the summit an eternity before him. For a while it seemed that with every step he advanced, the goal was somehow moved further away from him. But eventually he made it to the top without crawling, which gave him a modest sense of accomplishment, and a boost of self confidence he sorely needed. It was a challenge for him to keep up with JoEllen. In contrast to his aging musculature, she was the very embodiment of youthful vigor.

  After catching his breath, he looked around at the hilltop. The peak was level and covered with grass. It didn’t seem as though anyone had been here in ages. In fact, the only indication of human influence at all was a short stone wall no more than waist high to JoEllen, which appeared to function as an overlook railing.

  “So this is it,” he said, walking toward the center of the hilltop. He could feel his heart still pounding in his chest in an effort to recover from the exertion of the climb. “I have to admit I was expecting something more than this. A stone monument, or a statue, or even just a plaque with a symbol.”

  JoEllen walked to his side and took him by the hand. “Come with me,” she told him, then led him to the wall and asked him to look out across the savannah.

  Hundreds of acacia trees dotted the landscape, stretching outward with their characteristic umbrella—like branches. An impressive sight, Karl had to admit. Perhaps that alone had been worth the journey to get here. But as he stood there admiring the spectacular vista, it soon became apparent why JoEllen had brought him here. There was something moving out among the trees. Something with a very familiar shape. In that instant he realized his time was running out.

  “You brought me here to see the elephants, didn’t you.”

  She didn’t answer, but he knew it was true. The truth had been staring him in the face for a while now, and somehow she’d sensed it before he did.

  “You misled me about the history of this hill,” he said. “People didn’t come here because of the voices. They came here to watch the elephants.”

  He dropped to his knees and leaned across the wall to get a better look at the specimens below. She knelt beside him and did the same.

  “Magnificent,” he said, pointing to a male with large tusks. “Video clips and pictures don’t do them justice.”

  “No elephants on Earth?” JoEllen asked.

  “No. Not any more. Their numbers dwindled until there were very few left. And then diseases finally wiped them all out.” The topic of disease reminded him of his own situation. It was clear now that he didn’t have much longer to live. “When I landed here I thought I’d have a little more time. Maybe I made my condition worse by pushing myself to keep up with you.”

  “No,” JoEllen said. “That’s not what happened to you. Men can’t live on Valhalla,” she explained. “There’s something in the air that kills them. That’s why all of the Sentinels are girls.”

  Karl sat down and leaned back against the wall, his mind running through everything he’d learned the past few days. “So when we first met, and you told me I was already dying, this is what you meant by that?”

  She looked him in the eyes and nodded. “There haven’t been any men here for a very long time.”

  “But there were at one point,” Karl observed. “We saw evidence of that in the village we visited. I wonder what could’ve happened to change things.” Even as those words left his lips, the answer became apparent to him.

  “Something in the air,” he said, shaking his head as he repeated what JoEllen had just explained to him. “Something in the air would most likely be microscopic. That might explain what happened here. A microorganism affected by the catalyst developed an unpleasant disposition toward men. So apparently the catalyst impacted more than just frogs. Though I would say frogs certainly seem to have gotten the better end of the bargain. Much to the dismay of dragonflies.”

  With the sun beginning to dip below the horizon, he decided to give his mind a rest and just enjoy watching the elephants for as long as he could.

  “Are you glad I brought you here?” JoEllen asked.

  “I am happy I got to see elephants,” he said. “So for me, I’m glad you brought me here. But for you, I wish things would have been different, and this hill could’ve helped us learn more about those voices. I don’
t suppose you feel like trying to contact them again?”

  “No. I’d rather just watch the elephants.”

  “Maybe we can try again tomorrow,” he said. Assuming I even wake up tomorrow.

  CONVERGENCE 111

  “Wake up, Robin.”

  It was Mindy’s voice. A pair of hands gently shook her by the shoulders. The sound of people running jolted her awake.

  “What’s happening?” she asked, quickly sitting up in bed. The rest of her crew was up and awake, and already slipping their uniforms on.

  “I don’t know,” Mindy said. “Commander Michelson just gave the order to launch all destroyers.”

  Robin pulled her dress on as she followed the others into the corridor. Before they reached the elevators, they saw Virginia running in their direction.

  “What’s going on?” Robin asked her.

  “The fog is receding. Visibility just reached half a kilometer. Commander Michelson is sending all her forces out to search the surrounding area for enemy ships.”

  “Does that include us?”

  “Yes it does. But you and I will be searching as we’re flying back to Volaris. We’ll let them know if we find anything along the way. Go fire up the Cricket, and I’ll meet you outside.”

  “Admiral Sands, to the bridge,” the speaker crackled.

  He reached for the intercom button on his desk.

  “Admiral Sands, here. What is it, Lieutenant?”

  “Radar contact, sir. Looks to be a fighter.”

  “Page Captain Straydel. I’ll be right there.” He threw his chair back and hurried to the bridge, half expecting his ship to start taking fire at any moment.

  “What have we got?” he asked when he arrived.

  “Sir, I’ve just made contact with the pilot. He claims to be from the Johannesburg.”

  “Put him on,” the admiral said, gesturing toward the intercom. “Pilot, this is Admiral Sands. Identify yourself.”

  “Lieutenant William Bradley, sir. Twelve seventy—”

  The admiral cut him off. “Lieutenant, I understand you’re from the Johannesburg?”

  “Yes, sir. Commander Paulson sent us out to scout our surroundings.”

  “We have you on radar, but can’t see you, Lieutenant. What’s the visibility like where you’re at right now?”

  “Visibility, about half a kilometer, sir.”

  “That’s better than we’ve got. Are you still in range of the Johannesburg?”

  “Yes, sir. Steer toward my position, then continue straight ahead three kilometers. Your radar should be able to pick her up then.”

  “Well done, Lieutenant Bradley. Are there any other ships with the Johannesburg right now?”

  “She’s holding with a pair of light cruisers right now. One aft to starboard, and another fore to port.”

  “Any contact with the enemy yet?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “And do you have any idea of our current position?”

  “No, sir. All I can tell you is we’re somewhere in the fog.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant. I’d like you stay with us until we reach the Johannesburg.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The admiral turned around and saw Peter rushing toward him.

  “What’s happening?” Peter asked.

  “We’re about to join up with the Johannesburg. Apparently there’s improved visibility ahead. I want you to stand by right here, Peter, just in case there are enemy forces about. Commander Paulson has fighters patrolling the area, but if they run into trouble they could probably use your assistance.”

  “Yes, sir. How many fighters on board the Johannesburg? Does she have a full complement?”

  “Highly doubtful. Before you arrived, we made several attempts to advance on a suspected enemy stronghold — all with less than desirable results. I understand we’ve received some reinforcements since then, but these are pilots who would all be fresh off the transports.”

  “Any elites on board?”

  “You’ll have to ask Commander Paulson. I’ll let you speak with him as soon as we’re in range.”

  With the Cricket’s engines up and running, Robin waited for the other destroyers to launch so as not to take a chance on getting in their way. For a moment there were ships launching left and right of her, crossing paths in a frenzy to reach their assigned patrol zones, then racing outward away from the station. Then came the fighters launching from the hangar, though that seemed a far less chaotic procedure. When the bustle finally began to die down, she ordered Sheri to release the moorings. The Cricket drifted slowly away from Centaurus, and Virginia joined up with them a moment later.

  “Ready?” Virginia asked.

  “We’re ready,” Robin answered.

  “Set your course dead ahead and hold steady for a bit.”

  “Got it,” Robin said. “Now what?”

  “Just a minute.” A few seconds passed as Virginia checked her instruments. “Steer twelve degrees to port, and down four degrees.”

  Robin waited for Caroline to make the adjustments. “Will this course take us to Volaris?” she asked.

  “This course should take us to Orion,” Virginia told her. “We may need to stop there before heading to Volaris.”

  “Alright,” Robin said. She checked her forward speed. “How long do you think it will take us to get there?”

  “In this fog, I’m not sure. It may get worse up ahead. We’re gonna have to take this nice and slow. But do your best to stay alert, and keep an eye out for enemy forces.”

  “We will.”

  “Listen … Robin,” Virginia said, “I realize you’re the senior officer here, and you girls have certainly proved yourselves in battle. But I’d like you to do me a personal favor. If anything happens to me before we reach Orion, I want you to flip your course back around, and get your ship back to Centaurus right away. We have no idea what lies ahead of us right now. For all we know, Orion may not even be there anymore.”

  Robin looked around at the faces of her crew. None of them appeared to be upset by the suggestion. “Alright,” she said. “Just make sure nothing happens to you, Lieutenant.”

  She heard Virginia chuckle. “I promise to do my best, Captain Starling.”

  Commander Eldridge looked out through the control room windows. It appeared to her that the fog was receding, but her eyes were so tired that she couldn’t be sure.

  “What are the readings now?” she asked.

  Veronica checked her instruments. “Radar penetration up to three kilometers. Visibility still limited to less than one kilometer.”

  “Less than a kilometer. That’s not very far. Still, it’s the best we’ve seen in several days.” She leaned over Veronica and switched on the intercom. Her voice boomed over the station’s loudspeakers.

  “Captain Russell, to the control room.”

  She released the intercom button, then changed her mind and pressed it again.

  “Second Battalion, to the control room.”

  The controllers looked at her with surprise on their faces. She saw no need to explain herself to them. When the younger girls arrived she called them to formation, and asked Captain Russell to stand at her side.

  “Sentinels,” she said, “I’m in need of your assistance. The fog that surrounds us is growing less dense. But we still have ships and crews that are lost out there, and we need to do everything we can to find them before they run out of fuel and die. With that in mind, I’m afraid I have to ask you to fly out into this, and do your best to make contact with our missing patrol ships.

  “My plan is to have you spread out as far as possible while remaining in radar contact with each other. Captain Russell will be in command of this operation, so you’ll all be taking orders from her. Any questions?”

  “What ships do you want us to take?” Judy asked.

  “Captain Russell, is the Terrapin still in acceptable condition?”

  “Yes,” Carly answered. “She’s ready
to go.”

  Commander Eldridge looked at Judy again. “You’ll be taking the same ships you flew here from Orion. Captain Russell, go round up your crew and head down to the spur. The rest of you can head down there and pre–‌flight your ships. Captain Russell will inform you when she’s ready to launch.”

  When the Johannesburg finally came into view, Peter headed straight to the communications console. Admiral Sands joined him there and reached for the transmitter. “Get me Commander Paulson,” he said into the microphone.

  The reply came swiftly. “Commander Paulson, here. It’s good to hear your voice, Admiral.”

  “Likewise. Can you give me a damage report on your ship?”

  “Nothing major to report. We suffered some substantial impacts from that ice, but we seem to have come through it in pretty good shape.”

  “What about your escorts?”

  “The Sheffield is still in good condition, but the San Gabriel suffered damage to her stern, and her rear turret is currently out of commission. That’s the reason I’ve positioned her out in front.”

  “Understood. Have you got a fix on our coordinates yet?”

  “I’m afraid not, Admiral. But from what we’ve observed, the densest region of the fog seems to be to our rear. So moving forward should take us into the clear.”

  “I concur. Call your fighters and tell them to regroup with us now. We’re going to press forward until we can get a fix on our position.”

  “Can you give us five minutes?”

  “You’ve got five minutes. Get them all back, and let’s get ourselves out of this mess. The sooner we get clear of this fog the better.”

  The admiral turned to Peter and nodded toward the windows. “I think it’s best if you get out there, Captain Straydel. If we run into some action, I don’t want you trapped on board here. And I wouldn’t be inclined to open the cargo bay doors during combat.”

  “Yeah,” Peter said, “that wouldn’t be good. I’ll fly on ahead and see if I can keep us out of trouble.”