The Disasters by M. K. England (review)

It's 2194 and seven space colonies now relieve the population pressure on Earth, following a major energy crisis. Colonization, however, is a one-way trip, and once committed to life off Earth, there's no going back. A group of teens who hope to pass through the elite Academy on the moon base are prepared to make that commitment, but when the Academy comes under attack, the teens beat it onboard a nearby shuttle and heads into space. They take with them just enough overheard and observed information to determine that the colonies are in peril and they themselves are being hunted. Nax, hotshot pilot; Zee, would-be doctor; Case, genius engineer; Rion, savvy diplomat; and Asra, a rebel from an off-Earth colony, have the collective skill set to launch their own counter-mission, and they aim to identify, locate, and disable the insidious device planted by the Earth First Movement to wipe out the colonies. England knows her audience, accelerating from Academy to team mission in under twenty pages and never throttling down until the sonic weaponry is destroyed. There is, of course, time to provide some backstory, toss in a little flirtation, and set the scene for a sequel, but this is mainly about the catand-mouse chase through space and all the strategy and explosions and daring ad hoc ploys (nitrous oxide, cannily deployed, is darned effective) that entails. Among the five teens we find various permutations of religions, races, sexual orientations, and family backgrounds (though those dynamics sometimes feel more purposive than necessary). If humankind requires saving, then this is the crew to do it. EB