The Phoenix Wars: Book I, Reprieve

by C. R. Daems

  The next day, another man in a purple robe stood waiting. "The House of Records maintains the Phoenix personnel database and all the information relating to each of you. For example, right now, your database includes the date you accepted our offer of a cure, your medical condition at that time, the date you received your orientation briefing, and the date of this lecture. In a short while, the records personnel will be passing out your Personal Communication Sleeve, PCS. This device will be permanently attached to your left forearm and display your house and your skill level, permit you to communicate with anyone on Anixia, and maintain your schedule. To summarize, the House of Records is responsible for maintaining everyone's personal information and your PCS's. In addition, they maintain the historical records for Anixia, including combat missions. Although they do not have a combat component, at least one record's person is always present on each combat mission."

  That generated many side conversations, which the purple hooded Anixian ignored until the room returned to silence, although at least twenty hands were raised to be heard.

  "Remember the Tullizor? Although we do not wish for revenge, remaining passive will eventually result in our, and your, destruction. We must, therefore, stop them with force. That means everyone will be involved in the war effort. Obviously, some houses more than others. That will be discussed as we outline each house's responsibilities. Before you leave, be sure to visit the records people seated at the tables behind you and collect your PCS. You will need to bring it to the lecture tomorrow."

  "What if we don't want a PCS?" asked a man who looked to be in his early thirties. He had an athletic figure, close to two meters tall, and a stubborn set to his jaw.

  "You are free to reject the PCS, but then you cannot belong to a Phoenix House, which means you cannot stay here as only house members are authorized in the caves."

  "That would be murder!" he shouted, looking around for support from the others.

  "Actually, that would be suicide since you had a choice."

  "What if we all left?" he smiled, looking around and finding a few heads nodding.

  "That would be mass suicide," the robed man said without any emotion I could detect. "What do you think would happen on Earth if your nation had a draft, you were selected, and you refused to participate?"

  "I'm not a citizen of Anixia and, therefore, can't be drafted into the military!" the man screamed, still searching for support.

  "You agreed to come to Anixia on the condition we cured a medical problem that would have killed you within months. You knew there was a price to pay for the cure. The price is joining the Phoenix military. If you refuse, we have no jails and no way or interest in forcing you. Our only alternative is to banish you. It would be no worse than if you had refused the cure."

  The room was so quiet you could hear people breathing as everyone digested the reality of their situation. It was what I had concluded, and for me, a fair bargain. I was alive, free of pain, and who knew, I might enjoy the experience. It would certainly be interesting.

  "What do you think?" Hanna asked as we stood in line to collect our PCSs.

  "The Anixia lived up to their end of the bargain, and I intend to live up to mine. I am alive today, and I plan to enjoy each new day." Hanna and Hyun smiled in agreement.

  "These sleeves are quite light," Hanna said, weighing it in one of her hands. "I was afraid it would be heavy as it's metal, but it's light. I expected it to weigh around a kilogram or more, but I doubt it weighs more than two-hundred and fifty grams."

  "The bad news is that this can be used to track us," Hyun said, probably thinking about all the police abuses in many of the Asian countries.

  "That's only bad if you are doing something you shouldn't," I said, not sure I liked the idea either. "I plan to do everything to help…Phoenix, survive, and hope that pays off in a good life. Let's enjoy every day, and let tomorrow take care of itself."

  "Today," Hanna and Hyun said in unison as we headed for the food being laid out on the dining tables.

  The next day, the routine was the same as the previous day, refresh ourselves, eat, and file into the lecture hall.

  "Today, we will discuss the House of Medicine," a rather tall robed man said. "Anixia has no doctors; machines do all the work. That may sound horrible to some, but think about it. If you went to ten doctors in the early stages of your disease, would all ten have diagnosed you correctly? The answer is no because all doctors aren't the same in experience, skill, and dedication." He paused to sip at a glass of something. "Our machines are updated every time something new surfaces, one hundred percent dedicated, ninety-nine percent accurate, and aren't afraid to report they don't know. In those very infrequent instances, the condition is reported to the Anixia Medical House researchers, who will analyze, resolve, and have the machines updated. These machines diagnose, treat, and even perform surgery and rarely make a mistake. That is compared to human hospitals which are credited with killing over a hundred thousand people per year due to mistakes. The people in the House of Medicine learn the uses of each machine, how to operate them, and to monitor patient's progress, much like an MRI technician in a hospital except he or she also has responsibility for the cure."

  We spent most of the day listening to the types of machines, their function, and watching a few video clips of the machines in action. Afterward, medical personnel fastened the PCS to our forearms using one of their machines. Although permanently anchored to the Radius and Ulna bones, the procedure was painless. A person from the Records House verified the unit was working and connected to the correct individual's records.

  "That was amazing," Hanna said as we left for the day. "That was close to major surgery, and it took less than twenty minutes and no pain." She laughed. "I'll wager we are all saturated with pain killers."

  The next day was more of the same but important as eventually, we would have to select a career, and our only basis for selection would be these lectures.

  "Today, we will explain the function of the House of Support," the robed man said as we began a new day. "I would imagine that by now, you are confused over what day it is, what will happen over the next few days, and the time of the day as no one has a watch. That is good, as one of the support personnel's function is to maintain a help function to resolve problems or get you to the people you need. Today, they will help you learn how to use your PCS."

  Just then, a man in his forties stepped onto the platform. "My name is Chuck," he said, and a picture of a PCS appeared on all the monitors. "The Sleeve, as we refer to our PCSs, replaces your smartphone, laptop, and your wallet or purse, and you can't lose it and it can't be stolen or hacked into…" He spent over an hour going over each of its functions. When he finished, several persons in green clothes entered and began circulating among us, stopping to make sure we weren't having any problems. Now and then, Chuck would interrupt to demonstrate when the support staff were finding a lot of people were having difficulty with a specific feature.

  "In addition," the man in the purple robe said after we had an hour to play with our Sleeves, "support keeps the cave habitable and functional, cooking, cleaning, replacing filters, repairs, and many other maintenance chores."

  "That was fun," Hanna said on the way back to our quarters. "It's like I got my smartphone back. The best part is that I can't misplace or lose it." She laughed. "I'm not sure I like it permanently attached, but it's light, and I'm sure after a few weeks, it will feel normal."

  "I like it as it lets me get ready for today and lets me peek into tomorrow, and I like the idea we can text each other," I said.

  "Careful what you text," Hyun said, her brow wrinkled in thought. "I would think they maintain a file on what is texted."

  "Actually, you can't blame them," I said. "We are an aggressive race, and they are pacifist. It only takes one rotten apple to infect the whole barrel."

  The next day, my Sleeve indicated we would cover weapons, which would be interesting as I knew nothing about them.
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  "Today, we will discuss the House of Weapons," said our purple-robed instructor. "That is primarily the weapons that the cruisers and fighters use: lasers and missiles. Only the police carry weapons inside the caves and the officers while on cruisers. The weapons personnel are responsible for cleaning, repairing, and manufacturing our current weapons and ammunition. In addition, they participate in building our cruisers and fighters."

  We spent the rest of the day being exposed to a comprehensive inventory of the Anixia's missiles, lasers, and sidearms. That also included a video of the weapons' destructive power.

  "I would imagine," Hanna gave a short giggle, "the boys would have found that session the most entertaining."

  "The interesting part will be finding out how they determine who from each house is part of a cruiser's contingent," I said. "After all, a cruiser needs cooks from support, people to document the flight from records, medical machines and operators from medical, and personnel from weapons to handle and repair the systems."

  Hanna laughed. "So the good part is yet to come."

  "I would imagine that will be part of the House of War presentation," I said. I doubted the Anixians needed marines; however, they did need a group to fly the cruisers and fighters. "They would be the ones responsible for killing the enemy." I smiled. "And to protect Anixia."

  I looked forward to today's lecture as I sat eating breakfast. The orientation had been interesting, if a little light on details, but I wanted to get on with my new life. Today, we would have to decide. The only fly in the ointment was that I might not get the house I chose if the Anixia decided I wasn't qualified or they needed to fill slots in another house. When I looked at my plate, it was empty, and silence hung like a cloud over the table. Obviously, everyone's thoughts were on the selection process that would soon happen. The frightening part was that others would make the final decision. I shook my head, like a dog out of water, as if to clear it. I vowed to do the best I could no matter what house I was assigned.

  "Today, we conclude your orientation with a look at the House of War," said the purple-robed man. "They are the individuals who fly the cruisers and fighters and provide security."

  We learned that the other houses managed all the key function within the cruiser except for the Bridge, fighter operations, and security. Most of the day was spent reviewing the layout of an Anixia cruiser's Bridge and the fighters with a video showing the fighters maneuvering in space. In a way, the cruiser was like a navy aircraft carrier in space.

  "You will have today and tomorrow to fill out the questionnaire we have sent to your Sleeve and make a choice. Since we cannot guarantee you will get your first choice, we ask you to rank the five houses in order, from first to last. Ranking the five houses will give the reviewer a better insight into your subconscious preferences. We want you comfortable, and, therefore, it's important that we find the best fit for you and Anixia. There is always the possibility to switch houses as vacancies become available. When you are assigned a house, you will officially be a Phoenix citizen."

  Our barracks was quiet except for a few whispered conversations as people sat in small groups or alone filling out the questionnaire. It was ten pages long and appeared to have little to do with the houses, more like a psychology questionnaire, jumping from one unrelated question to another. What are your three favorite colors, then your favorite animals, the schools you attended, programs you liked to watch, and on and on. Finally, on page ten, your choice of a house or rather an ordering of the houses and a place to explain why you selected the house you did. At the end, we were encouraged to think about our answers for a day before pressing the Send icon.

  I looked up to see Hyun and Hanna staring at me. "What?" I asked.

  "We were waiting for you to finish," Hanna said. "Hyun and I finished an hour ago."

  "It felt like a college entrance form, and I wanted to make sure my answers would help me get my first choice… No, I wanted to make sure I had chosen the house for the right reasons."

  "What house did you choose?" Hyun asked, leaning forward along with Hanna. "It would be wonderful if we could be in the same house."

  "Hyun and I," Hanna interrupted before I could speak, "chose war! We decided every house would have people on the cruisers, so why not be in a position to make the decisions rather than leave our lives to other people."

  I nodded. "The House of War."

  Hanna and Hyun jumped up, and we were in a three-way hug.

  Chapter 6

  The House Of War

  I clicked the Send icon the next day around noon, which I thought was around fourteen hours. The extra time did nothing to change my mind. I thought my reasons were good based on the information I had been given during orientation. Even within each house, there appeared to be a wide variety of responsibilities to choose from…well, maybe choose wasn't the right word as Anixia's needs took priority. At least, potentially available over time.

  Throughout the day, the mood in our room oscillated between exuberant and silent anxiousness.

  "Ladies, if you would like some male company, the recreation room is available now that you have completed your orientation," Samantha said when she entered the room and saw the current looks of anxiety. "They are probably in a good mood, having picked war and looking forward to shooting at things."

  "Forgetting that those things shoot back!" someone shouted to a chorus of hoots and laughs.

  "That doesn't appear the bother them. It must be some mixed-up genes." She smiled. "We love them anyway."

  I looked to Hyun and Hanna. Hanna nodded, but Hyun shook her head. I noticed about half of the room was walking towards the door, and Hanna and I followed. The recreation room was at least as large as the orientation one. That surprised me until I realized it was available to all the houses in this area, which included permanent staff in addition to the recent arrivals.

  "Kayla," a voice called from somewhere across the room. A moment later, I saw Todd waving as he made his way toward us. "Are you excited? I am tired of listening to lectures."

  "Hi, Todd, this is Hanna. Hanna, this is Todd from Colorado," I said, as they shook hands and mumbled greetings. "We needed to know what was available because unless I'm wrong, our first choices may not be possible for one reason or another."

  "I'm not worried," he said with an ear-to-ear grin. "I selected the House of War, which I'm sure is always available. That has got to be the Anixia's highest priority."

  "That's true, but they need people to make, maintain, and install the weapons. Not to mention, cook our food, make our clothes, and so on. An army is not made up of one hundred percent infantry or the Air Force of pilots," I said, reducing his smile by half.

  "I'll wager you don't get invited to many parties." He laughed good-naturedly. "What did you pick? Certainly not support. I can just hear you on a support call. "You want to know what? You're kidding, aren't you? You're not? Figure it out yourself. If I tell you, you will never learn." He and Hanna were both laughing by the time he finished. Even I had to smile.

  "War," I said, which caused Todd's mouth to drop open.

  "You're joking? You are, aren't you?" Todd shuddered. "Why?"

  "Figure it out yourself. If I tell you, you will never learn." I said, and we all began laughing.

  "Why?" Todd said, and we all started laughing again. Pretty soon, we were joined by others, and the story repeated. It turned out to be a fun evening, and the time passed quickly.

  During breakfast the next morning, women suddenly stopped eating and began checking their Sleeves. Some smiled, some gave a whoop of joy, and others looked to be on the verge of tears. I realized why when my Sleeve vibrated and a mail icon appeared. I hesitated, looking at Hanna and Hyun, knowing it was my assignment. A life-changing event I had little control over. I mentally shook my head, resolving to give the assignment my very best regardless of what it was. I was alive when I should be dead, and I was cured. I owed the Anixians. I owed them my best effort, and they would get it.
I clicked on the icon, and the message appeared.

  Kayla Trager, you are assigned to the House of War. Report to the orientation room at sixteen hundred hours. Administration.

  I turned to see Hanna and Hyun smiling. Well, we had gotten what we wished for. I could only hope we liked what we got. I idly wondered if Todd was also smiling.

  A short man in the ubiquitous purple-robe entered the platform.

  "Congratulations, you are now citizens and members of the House of War. As you are already aware, each house is further divided into functions. Therefore, you must again make a choice which will be matched against our needs. You will begin in that specialty but may participate in or transfer to others over your lifetime. Your three choices are: police, Bridge crew, and fighters, although police are required to be trained in either the Bridge or fighters. They are backup if the need arises." He spent the next hour outlining the duties of the Bridge crew and the fighter pilots. Afterward, twenty-five of us were escorted down a long tunnel to a wooden door with an ostrich on the door, which I thought strange. Inside sat several long narrow vehicles which had ten seats and sat on rails.

  "Each house has multiple locations as a precaution against a catastrophe. For example, the House of War has four: Merlin, Kestrel, Gyrfalcon, and Saker. We are sending you to the Saker residence. You will find there is a complex rail system that can take you to any of the various house locations," He said, pointing to the vehicle which had its roof open to enable entry. "Form a line, and we will get you loaded and on your way."

  The three of us managed to get into the first railcar. After we were seated, the roof closed, and the vehicle began moving. It was eerie as there were no windows for obvious reasons; what is there to see in an underground tunnel? I could feel the vehicle accelerating but had no idea how fast it was traveling, but I would wager it approached speeds equivalent to bullet trains on Earth. Suddenly, I felt it slowing as I was pressed back into the seat. When the roof opened, the room looked just like the one we had just left, except the robed men waiting wore a dark-blue robe, and the life-size Saker looked like it was emerging from the wall with its wings extended up as if coming in for the kill, talons extended.