Echoes of Extinction (The Voidwalker Chronicles Book 1) by Sean Robins

Author:Sean Robins [Robins, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2025-02-11T00:00:00+00:00

I’d always been an early riser, even aboard the ship. I had a routine. I would do a quick workout (push-ups, sit-ups), and then check my gear—my sidearm, comms, and uniform always squared away next to Joyce’s—while mumbling to myself, “No such thing as an off day. After that, I’d go to the observation deck, my favorite spot to enjoy a few quiet moments before the day’s hustle began. Today, however, I wasn’t the first one there.

Cathleen was on the observation deck. She was gazing out at the stars, her silhouette framed by the vastness of space. Even from a distance, I could tell she was lost in thought, probably reflecting on the intense events of the previous days. I considered leaving her to her thoughts, but she saw me and offered me a faint smile.

I approached her slowly. “Morning, Captain. It’s hauntingly beautiful, isn’t it?”

“I never imagined space to feel so... isolating. Makes me miss the constant chatter of cadets complaining about PT,” she admitted.

I nodded, understanding her sentiment all too well. “The vastness of it all can be overwhelming, but on the bright side, it has a way of putting our worries into perspective.”

She chuckled softly. “And yet those worries still manage to loom large, don’t they?”

I nodded. “Given that we worry if we fail here humanity is doomed, oh yeah.”

She ran a hand through her buzzcut. “You know, my grandpa used to say that stars are the souls of warriors past, watching over us, guiding us.”

I sat next to her. “I guess he was a soldier too?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. Military service ran in both our families like an overachieving gene.

She nodded. “West Point graduate, like my father. It’s a family tradition. Same as yours, I believe. Though I doubt any of them imagined their descendants would be captaining star cruisers”

“We go five generations back,” I said proudly. “Dad was a Marine too, which I guess I’m not anymore.”

Cathleen smiled. “A space fighter pilot and a star-cruiser captain. Who would’ve thought? How do you feel about your career change?”

“I don’t like flying, to tell you the truth,” I replied. “I guess I’m still a Marine at heart, and not a space Marine like Jarred, who has apparently taken to his new role like fish to water. You?”

She shrugged. “Not much has changed for me. I still get to boss people around. The only difference is now I can threaten people by getting thrown out of an airlock if they don’t obey my orders immediately. It’s very effective.”

I turned to look at her. “Do you think we’ll win?”

“I have no doubt,” she said firmly. “And neither should you. Our ships are far superior to the enemy’s fleet. It won’t even be a challenge. We’ll be home in time for whatever passes for happy hour in deep space.”

I tried not to show it, but I found her overconfidence alarming, and rather out of character for her. She’d always been the cautious, prudent type, which was part of the reason we’d survived in Haven as long as we did.

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