Sentinels: Children of Valhalla (Sentinels Saga Book 1)

by Linn Schwab

  “Come on,” Kelli said, interrupting Mindy’s thoughts. “It’s getting late. I need to get you back inside.” She throttled the engines up again and turned her fighter back toward Volaris.

  After guiding her plane back in through the airlock, Kelli parked it near the end of the traffic lane. The deck crew would move it back into position for her later. She waited for Mindy to climb down the rungs first, then followed her down and joined her on the deck.

  As the two of them stepped away from the fighter, Mindy suddenly began to feel dizzy. She closed her eyes, raised her hands to her forehead, and staggered as if she was going to fall over. Kelli quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and leaned down to get a closer look at her. “Are you alright?” she asked, reminded of Mindy’s recent concussion.

  “I think so,” Mindy said, slowly opening her eyes. Everything looked a little blurry at first, but her eyesight seemed to recover seconds later. When her vision finally returned to normal, she could clearly see the look of concern in Kelli’s eyes. With their faces now hovering only inches apart, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Kelli’s, catching the older girl completely off guard.

  The fleeting kiss left Kelli stunned and bewildered. Before she even had a chance to react, Mindy pulled back away from her and looked directly into her eyes — her expression suggesting a deep sense of gratitude.

  “Thank you,” Mindy whispered sincerely, then turned and walked away from her, leaving her to puzzle for a while over just what exactly she was being thanked for.

  Concerned about Mindy’s whereabouts, Robin wandered the darkened corridors of Volaris, asking everyone she encountered if they’d seen her recently. The rest of her girls were already in bed, but Mindy had still not returned to the room. Worried that something might have happened to her, Robin was determined to track her down. But nobody seemed to know where she was. She hadn’t been seen in over an hour.

  Frustrated and weary from walking in circles, Robin reluctantly gave up the search and decided to return to her room for a while. As she neared a corridor intersection, she heard another set of footsteps approaching. To her relief, Mindy stepped around the corner and turned in the direction of their sleeping quarters. Curious to find out what her friend had been up to, Robin decided just to follow her in secret, hoping to learn something without having to confront her.

  As Mindy walked along the darkened passages, she sensed that something had changed inside her. Either her confidence had been reinforced, or her fears had been beaten into submission. Or perhaps it was a combination of the two. The point of her existence seemed clearer to her now, though her future was no less shrouded in uncertainty. She felt like she’d been given a new sense of purpose, and she was determined to perform her duties to the best of her ability.

  As she neared her sleeping quarters, she slowed her pace and softened her footsteps, taking care not to wake the other girls. After stepping a short distance into the room, she decided there was something she still needed to do; some unfinished business she needed to address. She spun around on the balls of her feet and made her way back out of the room. There, she stopped in the middle of the floor and humbly looked up at the corridor wall. She raised her right fist up to her heart, and softly said, “I promise, I won’t let you down.” She stood there in silence a few seconds longer, then returned to her room and slipped into bed. I’ll never fall asleep afraid again, she told herself. That Mindy is gone forever now.

  Robin crept forward out of the shadows, having quietly observed Mindy’s actions from a distance. She stopped at the spot where Mindy had been standing, and examined the surface of the corridor wall. There were no visible indications of communication devices. No intercom panels or microphones. Who could Mindy have been talking to? she wondered. What could have possessed her to speak to a wall?

  She recalled a feeling she’d experienced earlier when walking alone in the corridor at night. A feeling that she was being watched. Could there really be some sort of presence here? she wondered. Or is Mindy just losing her mind? Both of those possibilities were equally unsettling, and either way, she would have to keep a closer eye on her friend. But whatever it was that was influencing Mindy, she was determined to find a way to confront it.

  AVIATRIXES 026

  A perceptible hint of sadness filled the classroom when the final sister squadron session began. The bonds between the girls had grown so strong now that none of them wanted it to come to an end. But they had all known right from the beginning that they were only going to have a short time together. All they could do was make the most of it, and try to enjoy what was left of it while it lasted.

  “The smoke screen can be one of your best friends,” Zoe explained, with the classroom session nearing an end. “It consists of a packet filled with cylinders that spin end over end as they emit smoke into space. The packets are released from the rear of your ship to provide you with some cover when you’re being pursued. The control is on Katrina’s console, but every one of you needs to be familiar with it. Also, the smoke tends to dissipate fairly quickly, so when you use it, don’t expect it to hide you very long.”

  Zoe returned to her seat and Suzanne stepped up to the front of the classroom. “Now, let’s talk about the weapons console.” She called up an image on the display screen. “The very reason for this ship to exist.”

  Robin looked beside her at Phoebe and gave her a gentle nudge with her elbow — a subtle reminder to her of just how important her assigned position was.

  “As you can see,” Suzanne continued, “there are six dials arranged vertically here.” She pointed to the image on the screen as she spoke. “One dial for each of your torpedo tubes. Number one is at the top, number six is at the bottom. Directly beside each of these dials are the buttons that open and close their outer hatches. You don’t have to open them all at once, but I would highly suggest to you that you do, in order to avoid confusion.

  “Directly to the right of these dials is the firing trigger. It’s a T–‌shaped handle that you pull down toward you. In order to actually fire a torpedo, you must first enable the tube you wish to fire by twisting its dial clockwise until it stops moving. That’s usually about one–‌eighth of a turn. At this point, the electrical contacts have formed a completed circuit, and pulling the handle will launch a torpedo.”

  Suzanne returned to her seat and Kelli stepped up to the display screen. “These are your rocket battery triggers,” she said, pointing to a series of four horizontal handles. “The two on the left are for your port side batteries, and the two on the right control the starboard side. Each battery contains twelve rockets. Pulling a battery’s handle fires all twelve of them at once. You can adjust the pattern of deployment by turning this small dial beneath each handle. Turn it to the left for a tight launch pattern, or to the right for wider dispersal.”

  Kelli returned to her seat and Jenny now stepped to the front of the room. “Are there any questions about this?” she asked, looking around at the younger girls.

  “I have a question,” Phoebe said. “There are references in the archives that mention guided weapons. Do we have any of those?”

  Jenny shook her head. “All in the past. Countermeasures technology made them unreliable a very long time ago.”

  “What about missiles?” Sheri asked. “Don’t they have some sort of guidance system?”

  “They do indeed. Ballistic missiles follow a programmed course and fly to a predetermined location. Their usefulness is somewhat limited, though, because in order for them to be effective, you have to know before you launch them exactly where your target is going to be. And most of our targets don’t stay put for very long.”

  “Do they have missiles too?” Michelle asked.

  Jenny shrugged and took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I guess we have to assume that they do, since all of our ships and weapons tend to be copies of their designs.”

  “Why not design our own ships?” Caroline suggested. “Maybe we could make somet
hing better than theirs.”

  “Maybe we could,” Jenny said with a frown. “But the truth is, they have a lot more experience than we do when it comes to designing implements of war. Our ancestors were more concerned with creating life than they were with destroying it. That may put us at a disadvantage right now, but it’s something we just have to live with. Part of their legacy to us.”

  The room fell quiet. “Are there any more questions?” Jenny asked. She looked around the room from one girl to the next, hoping one of them would speak up with a question so she wouldn’t have to call an end to the session. The silence evoked a somber sense of finality. Everyone seemed to realize it was over.

  Jenny felt her eyes beginning to moisten. “I, uh,” she started to speak, choking with emotion. “I just…”

  Once again, Nancy had to come to her rescue. She stepped up beside Jenny, wrapped an arm around her waist, and looked at each of the younger girls. “This concludes our presentation on blowing your enemy to bits and pieces. We would like to thank you for sharing this time with us, and we wish all of you the best of luck.”

  The Hornets stood up and began to applaud, in honor of Robin and her squad. The younger girls went around the room one by one, exchanging hugs with each of their older sisters and saying precursory goodbyes. In the morning, they would set out on their christening flight, and the sister squadrons would all be there to see them off. But with the Hornets’ visit soon coming to an end, they all felt a sense of impending separation.

  “I’m gonna miss you, Jenny,” Robin said, after sharing a quick embrace with her.

  Jenny frowned. “I’m gonna miss you too. But hey, we’re still going to be here for a couple more days, so this isn’t exactly goodbye just yet.”

  “I know,” Robin said, “but it sure feels like it is. A couple more days isn’t nearly long enough.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Jenny agreed. “But things seldom go the way we’d like them to. That’s just a part of being a Sentinel. So,” she said, “how do you feel about taking your first flight tomorrow? Do you think you’re ready?”

  “I think so. I’m a little nervous. But in a way, I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

  “Yeah. I remember the feeling. It’s probably the biggest step you’re ever going to take. But, don’t be too nervous about it. Your first few flights will be pretty easy stuff. Then, once you get the hang of it, they’ll start giving you little responsibilities to cover. Like running supplies back and forth between stations. The whole system is set up to build your confidence in stages. When they finally send you into combat, you’ll be able to fly circles around those enemy ships.”

  Robin frowned and lowered her eyes. “Enemy ships,” she echoed in sadness. “It’s hard to accept that the Earthlings could be our enemies.”

  “I know,” Jenny said, “but they are. And as far as I’m concerned, the label fits them perfectly. Once you’ve lost a few friends in combat, then I think you’ll see what I mean.” She paused as if carefully considering something. “Listen,” she said, lowering her voice, “don’t let concerns like that get in your head, okay? When you have an enemy ship in your sights, you can’t afford to have second thoughts. If you hesitate for even a fraction of a second, you’ll be jeopardizing your own life and the lives of your crew. Your job isn’t to question your actions. It’s to blow holes in enemy ships. And if you and I, and all the others can blow enough of them away, then maybe someday we can return to Valhalla and live in peace along with the rest of our sisters. How does that sound?”

  Robin smiled. “That sounds great. But you know I can’t help you for another four years. You’re gonna have to cover for me until then.”

  Jenny grinned and let out a chuckle. “Don’t worry, Robin. I’ll do my best. You just make sure that you do yours.”

  INSTINCTS 027

  The clock stared back at Jenny through the darkness, tormenting her as she lay awake in bed. “You won’t be sleeping tonight,” it seemed to taunt her. “Look how late it is already.”

  Groaning in frustration, she sat herself up and pressed her palms against her forehead. Realizing sleep was a hopeless battle, she slipped her legs over the edge of her bed and quietly pulled herself to her feet. She knew perfectly well what was keeping her awake. Worries about Robin and the rest of her crew, and that something would go wrong on their christening flight.

  After slipping quietly into the corridor, she made her way toward the younger girls’ quarters. Nothing is going to happen, she tried to convince herself. Robin is thoroughly prepared for this flight. But the little voices in the back of her mind kept telling her Robin was too young for this. It was too dangerous to send her out there on her own. And maybe she wasn’t quite ready yet. But the worst of her concerns, by far, was the fear that she’d neglected to teach Robin something. That she’d somehow overlooked an important detail that Robin needed to be aware of.

  When she arrived outside the younger girls’ quarters, she found Suzanne already standing there, peering in at the sleeping girls through the windows. Distracted by the sound of approaching footsteps, Suzanne turned her head to see who it was.

  Jenny smiled at her in empathy. “You couldn’t sleep either?” she asked.

  Suzanne frowned and gestured toward the slumbering Sentinels. “Look at them,” she said, gazing in through the windows. “It’s their christening flights in the morning, but they’re in their beds, sleeping like babies…”

  “…and we’re standing out here, nervous as hell,” Jenny finished the thought with a quiet laugh. “It doesn’t make any sense, does it?” She looked in at the sleeping girls, admiring the peaceful looks on their faces. In the morning they’d all be lining up in formation for the last time before taking their first training flights.

  “A lot of things can go wrong out there,” Suzanne said. “What if something happens to them?”

  Jenny nodded her head in understanding. “Commander Jeffries warned me this would be the most difficult assignment we’d ever face. Now I’m beginning to understand what she meant by that.”

  A familiar voice called out from behind them, letting them know they weren’t alone. “The feelings you’re experiencing,” Major Richards informed them, “are part of your maternal instincts.” She slowly sauntered out from the shadows and joined them near the bank of windows. “Due to the way our lives are structured now, we’ve sort of lost touch with those instincts. Normally, the girls who display them at an early age are the ones who are chosen to be squad captains.”

  Jenny and Suzanne glanced at each other, then looked at Robin with a new sense of understanding. An image suddenly popped into Jenny’s mind, of Robin sitting on a cot in the infirmary, comforting Mindy and holding her hand as she slept. Maternal instincts! she thought in amazement. Who would have thought such an abstract biological trait could serve any useful purpose in military applications!

  “This is so wrong,” Suzanne complained, looking around at each girl in the room.

  “Distressing, isn’t it?” the major observed. “To look in at their youthful faces and think about what the future has in store for them.”

  “I don’t even want to think about that,” Jenny said. “It’s just too much for me to take.”

  “They’re too young,” Suzanne insisted. “Too young to be flying a ship on their own.”

  Major Richards shrugged and replied, “You both went through this when you were their age. Nothing has really changed since then. It’s just the same for them as it was for you.”

  “I know,” Suzanne whimpered, “but that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  Jenny’s eyes reacted to movement in the shadows. Two pilots from another sister squadron were approaching from her left. The looks on their faces were easy to read. She understood exactly what both of them were feeling.

  “It’s alright, girls,” she said, waving them in closer. “Come on in and join the heartache.”

  PAWNS 028

  The locker room was quiet and de
serted when Peter returned from yet another battle. Another battle in which he’d killed someone. So many now, he’d lost track of the count. Twelve years of service as an elite fighter pilot, plus a year and a half before he’d made ace. Nearly fourteen years of killing all together, and many dozens of enemy pilots vanquished. It seemed almost effortless to him now. More like a chore than a life or death struggle. Like mowing the grass, or raking fallen leaves, or — he shuddered to think — perhaps it was more like reaping a harvest.

  A pilot’s boot whistled through the air behind him and slammed against the face of a locker door before bouncing and coming to rest on the floor.

  “What are they thinking!” Terrence screamed in his usual heavy British accent. He tore his other boot off and slammed it against the floor. “Whose idea of strategy is this?” He glared at Peter while striking a locker with his fist.

  “Captain Moore,” Peter calmly addressed him, “got something on your mind I take it?”

  “Two of my pilots killed in two days on this ship! And both of them dead for no good reason! I want an explanation for this! They’re throwing us to the wolves out there!”

  Peter reached forward to open his locker. “They’ve never offered any explanations before. What makes you think you’re going to get one now?”

  Terrence struggled to calm himself. He exhaled loudly in disgust and shook his head in resignation. “I’ve seen better planning in the building of an ant hill! We were outnumbered three to one out there! For the second time in as many days! And where the hell are all of our support ships, huh? When’s the last time you saw a friendly destroyer? How are we supposed to mount an attack with nothing but fighters and heavy cruisers? They’re picking us to pieces, Captain Straydel. Face it. Command Central is losing this war for us. We are all living on borrowed time.” With that, he headed for the locker room door, leaving Peter with a difficult decision to make.