The Phoenix Wars: Book I, Reprieve

by C. R. Daems

  "Captain, we are at one hundred eighty degrees, and there are fourteen cruisers at the space station and six in orbit around the planet," Hyun said. "Plus at least eight more in space."

  "Hanna," I said before I considered all the alternatives. "I need a loop around the second planet, staying at least three hundred thousand kilometers away and that loops us back around between the second and third planets. Send it directly to the pilot for execution." Oracle, generate the same loop, I thought with my hand on the ball.

  "Captain, it's on the pilot's board," Hanna said, looking back at me.

  My calculation and Hanna's are close. Either will work.

  "XO, execute the new loop," I said and watched Hanna produce a small smile, indicating she knew Oracle had verified her calculation. "I want to know what they are doing on the second planet." No one had uttered a sound, but it was obvious the tension on the Bridge had ratcheted up several levels, as the new loop would significantly increase our odds of being discovered. It had been an impulse that I hoped didn't get us all killed and compromised our ability to get the information we had back to Anixia. What can you expect from a teenager, I mused in my defense.

  "Captain," Hyun said a half-hour later while frowning in thought. "There is another space platform, but the two ships parked there don't look like cruisers."

  "Could it be a mining operation?" Abie asked, staring at her console. "Those two ships could be ore haulers."

  "Konrad, using the new Griffon feature, can you send four missiles into the mining facility and four into the space station, at a speed which will allow us to get well out of the area?" I asked.

  "Yes," he said, looking nervous. "Of course, there will be twenty seconds while the engine turns on to orient the missiles and obtain the correct speed before shutting off. After that, they will be off for twenty minutes–"

  "That will put us fifteen degrees along the loop," Hanna said.

  "But alert the Tullizors someone is in the area," Hyun said.

  "Konrad, do it," I said, hoping they are slow to get to the area where the Griffons' engines ignited, and Blacky will be far enough away and running on minimum power to be noticed.

  Twenty minutes later, Hyun's voice broke the silence. "Captain, the Griffons detonated. Since the planet is between us and the explosions, I can't assess the damage, but the energy released was far larger than the Griffons could produce by themselves."

  "Captain, the loop will be completed in fifteen minutes," Hanna said an hour later. "Where to next?"

  "Konrad, I want eight Griffons towards the space station. The same speed as for the last station. Hanna, a vector toward the exit point. XO, execute the vector at one-tenth max thirty seconds after the Griffons hit the station, then cut the power leaving only life support," I said and sat back, trying to ignore the stomach acid burning in my throat and mouth. I was responsible for the Black Eagle and its crew, and I was acting like I was flying the Pitohui and only risking myself.

  The hologram lit with multiple explosions, which looked like a fireworks display as the explosions spiraled around the station as one cruiser ignited the next closest one.

  "Jorge, execute vector," Hyun shouted as if she needed to speak over the noise of the explosions, unnecessary as we could hear nothing. Two minutes later, the engines shut down, the emergency lights came on, and a silence descended on the entire cruiser. "It's like we smashed a hornet's nest. There are cruisers and fighters flying in every direction," Hyun said in almost a whisper.

  "We appear to have at least one alert lizard," Abie said while nibbling on her lip. "He's fired several missiles, but they are going astray since there is no heat signature for his missiles to lock onto. Four more cruisers have joined him. They have stopped firing. Probably waiting for us to restart our engines."

  "Which we will have to do eventually," Hyun said.

  "Hanna, when the Anixian was explaining the speed we need to exit Anixia space, did he mention the reason for the speed?" I asked, desperate for some way to lose our escort.

  "He said it was like putting something in orbit around a planet. There is an escape velocity necessary to overcome gravity. If you were traveling slower, you would in a sense never exit."

  Oracle, I thought as I touched the ball. If I drop four Griffons at one-tenth max before we reach the exit point, then accelerate to escape velocity immediately into the exit point…

  Interesting idea, Captain. I will give you the timing. It might work.

  Chapter 59

  It Might Work

  "Crew, listen up. Hyun is right. We have to start our engines to attain escape velocity, and the five Lizards tailing us will fire. We may survive, or we may not. Even if we do, they will follow us. I have no experience inside a worm hole, so I don't know what is and isn't possible, i.e., can they fire missiles or launch fighters or…" I paused to take a drink of water as I sounded horse and my throat felt like sandpaper. "So here is what I plan to do. Hanna, we need to be on a vector to enter the worm hole exit. Then give Jorge the vector for the fastest, tightest vertical loop Blacky is capable of. Jorge, when I say Start Loop, you will execute Hanna's vector. Konrad, when I say Release Griffons, you will drop four Griffons. Jorge, as soon as the Griffons are away, I will shout for you to Fire Engines. You will start engines and accelerate at full power to at least one percent of max."

  "What do you expect the Lizards to do?" Hyun asked, trying to follow my logic.

  "I have no idea," I said and shrugged. "But what they do will determine if we survive or not. I am hoping to create confusion and thereby reduce the number of missiles to a point where Abie can negate them. In addition, if I interpret the Peregrine correctly, there will be four Griffons with no power signature stuck in the exit for anyone following us to negotiate." They all stared at me with blank eyes and open mouths. "If anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears."

  Kayla, get ready. Five minutes.

  "Everyone, get ready," I said. "We will get only one chance to make this work. XO, announce for all crew to prepare for a vertical loop."

  "Attention, all crew prepare for a vertical loop," Hyun said into the intercom. "Attention, all crew prepare for a vertical loop."

  Start Loop.

  "Jorge, Start Loop!" I was glad we had prepared for the possibility of having to perform a vertical loop. Heavy equipment flying around the ship could not only result in the crew being killed or injured but in critical damage to the ship. Almost immediately, Blacky began to tilt up. My eyes were glued onto the hologram and the five Lizard cruisers. I smiled when they all began to follow us as I could imagine the chaos as equipment began sliding and things flying off shelves. It was one thing to prepare for explosions for missile strikes, yet another to turn a cruiser upside down. Before they hit ninety degrees one by one, five began an attempt to exit the loop. Not so easy if you hadn't practiced since you were disoriented and everything the opposite of normal. If it weren't a life or death situation, it would have been funny. Two appeared to spin away at angles that they couldn't recover from in time to target us. A third one, the last one to exit, must have suffered some kind of critical damage as it had an explosion as it continued to spin away. The other two were into a horizontal loop in an effort to get back in position to target us, but they would lose tens of thousands of kilometers in the process.

  Kayla, prepare to drop Griffons.

  "Konrad, Jorge, get ready," I shouted as adrenaline flooded my system.

  Kayla, drop Griffons.

  "Konrad, drop Griffons."

  "Griffons away," Konrad shouted, probably feeling the same surge of adrenaline.

  "Jorge, Fire Engines and kick Blacky in the ass," I shouted.

  "Eight missiles incoming," Abie said as her finger danced over the ECM board. "Oops."

  The Black Eagle shuddered as an explosion rocked the ship.

  "Shuttle bay two open to space. Two dead, three injured. Crew quarters damaged. One dead," Hyun read as the reports came in from the affected departments. "Sensor
s are not detecting anyone following."

  "I thought I detected a slight anomaly," Hanna said, smiling. "Maybe they ran into the Griffons."

  "I'll have to ask the Peregrine when we get…home," I said. "Yes, home is the next stop. You were perfection," I said, holding each person's gaze for a few seconds. You too, Oracle, I thought as I touched her glass ball.

  We are a good team.

  Chapter 60

  The Cures Are Temporary

  I sat in my office with Hyun and Hanna, drinking the Anixian version of coffee, which tasted more like roasted nuts. They had three different versions similar to Pistachio, Hazelnut, and Almond. I preferred the Almond taste, whereas Hyun liked Hazelnut and Hanna Pistachio.

  "Oracle was our savior," Hanna said. "There is no way I could have computed the timing for your idea in the time we had left before we reached the exit point."

  "I agree," I said. "Oracle's computational power saved the day; however, if Oracle was destroyed, you would be capable of making the same calculations. Oracle is an exceptional tool that we should use but not rely on. If we do, someday it may cost us our lives or those of our friends or crewmates. Just like you–"

  "Open this door, or we will break the door down," a base voice shouted.

  "Oracle, the Black Eagle is now under your control. Pilot it back to Anixia and deactivate all weapons."

  Yes, Captain Kayla. The Black Eagle is now under my control. Time to Anixia is two days, six hours, and ten minutes.

  I shrugged, rose, and opened the door. A tall, muscular man stood with a laser in his hand surrounded by ten to twelve crew members. I noticed Jorge, Abie, and Konrad were restrained with their hands tied with rope, as well as Hilda and Armin.

  "We are tired of being slaves to the Anixia. We are risking our lives while they hide on Anixia. So you and your Bridge crew are going to take us to Earth, or we are going to kill you."

  "Do I understand that you no longer wish the Anixia to honor your agreement?" I asked.

  "Damn right, girly," he growled.

  "Fine, I'll drop you off at Earth," I said to Hyun and Hanna's stunned look. "Of course, your cure won't be renewed. How long since you were cured?"

  "What the fuck do you mean my cure won't be renewed?" His face moved to within a centimeter of mine, and his hot-smelling breath almost made me gag.

  "The cures are temporary. They must be renewed. That's only fair. You break your agreement, and they break theirs." I shrugged. "So, anyone that wants to go back, I'll take them. I was heading back to Anixia as I understand several of you need a booster treatment, but if you prefer to go to Earth instead…"

  "You lying bitch."

  "You apparently think the Anixians are stupid. They can cure illnesses Earth can't but don't understand human nature." I looked around the group while shaking my head in sympathy. "They kidnap humans who are notoriously aggressive, warlike, and are quick to break their word, and think they will honor their agreement like meek lambs. They prefer to get rid of those willing to risk the lives of those who are willing to honor the agreement. Simple solution. Don't totally cure the illness. That way, you both win if you honor the agreement, or you both lose if you don’t. You have to admit it's an elegant solution."

  "Hey, I don't want to go back if I'm going to die with the cancer I had," a short, thin man said to several nodding heads.

  "The bitch is lying to you. We will be rich when we deliver this cruiser."

  "Oh, we are back to you think the Anixia are stupid again," I said, rather enjoying this debate with the mental midget. "The Anixia have software traps in the event someone intends to steal their property. You tripped one. Well, probably several. Taking the police captive, stealing his laser, and threatening the captain. Unfortunately, I can no longer drop you on Earth. The ship is now under Anixia software control, and we are headed for Anixia."

  "You lying little cunt."

  "If this little cunt is lying, then you should be able to open the door and enter the Bridge and get someone who wants to die with you on Earth to run the ship." A rough-looking woman walked over to the door and tried it.

  "It's locked," the woman said, frowning.

  "Give me the key!" the leader said, "or I'll cut one of your hands off." He laughed. I joined him laughing. "What the fuck are you laughing at?"

  "First, that door doesn't have a key. It is like the laser you are holding. It's controlled by the ship." I held up my hand. "Here, cut it off." The bastard actually pointed the laser at my wrist and pressed the activate button. "I don't know about everyone else, but I am going to go back to my room and relax. There is nothing anyone can do to stop the ship from going to Anixia." I turned and walked back into my office with Hyun and Hanna following. Before I closed the door, I could see the crowd was dispersing, and their leader stood looking at the laser.

  "Kayla, is that true?" Hyun asked.

  "It doesn’t matter." I smiled. "The ship is returning to Anixia under software control."

  "But you ordered Oracle to take control and return to Anixia," Hyun persisted.

  "I'm one of the software traps."

  "What about us not being totally cured?" Hyun asked, sounding frustrated.

  "It doesn’t matter." I smiled again. "It's only relevant if we were going to Earth. We are not. We are going to Anixia."

  Chapter 61

  The Prophecy

  I was surprised when M-Seer did not send a message saying he wanted to see me. I decided to write a comprehensive reoirt–well, more a synopsis–of the events, most to ensure I didn't leave anything out when he decided to debrief me. Then I wrote a list of it would be nice to have items if anyone asked. In addition, I spent a day at the inquiry concerning the attempted mutiny. All-in-all, I was so busy, I was surprised when M-Seer sent word to see him, and I found that a week had gone by. Now I was worried. Didn't he want to know what I did on our expedition, or did he know from Oracle or some other source and was unhappy with what I did or didn't do? Because I was satisfied with what we accomplished didn't mean he was. Maybe the rumor about the cure only being effective for a limited time… By the time the lift deposited me on the shelf, I had a cruiser-sized headache. Maybe it was a good thing, and he would send me back to the fighter unit or…banishment.

  "Kayla, why so depressed-looking?" M-Seer asked, surprising me out of my endless speculations. When I looked up, he sat in his normal chair; however, there were five other Anixians seated in a semicircle and, judging by their robes, the leaders of the six houses. I was obviously in way more trouble than I had imagined. "Sit, child, before you faint." When I did, his voice box spoke, "Marie, get Kayla something to drink. She looks pale." Shortly afterward, the little old lady appeared with my preferred Almond coffee.

  "If you didn't warn her the Anixia counsel would be present, you probably scared her to death," Marie said in a mother-to-child tone.

  "I apologize Kayla. The Law House has a story, actually, a prophecy, to tell you. One every Anixia House has been waiting to materialize. He nodded to a female great grey owl.

  Two hundred years ago, my great grandfather, the Grey Seer, made a prophecy:

  The Anixia will soon be plagued by destructive creatures.

  Who will destroy the land's ability to maintain life.

  To survive, the Anixia must make a two-hundred-year plan.

  Anixia must be prepared to hide while they await a wingless Anixian.

  The Anixian who will lead us back from the brink of despair.

  We knew we must prepare for war even though we are not a war-like people. So we sent our small space force in search of a place to hide. We found an unclaimed planet similar to Earth's Permian period with suitable climate to grow food, support animal life, and had minerals that could be mined to manufacture what we would need. It also had an asteroid field. And we discovered Earth. Those three discoveries form the core of our two-hundred-year plan. We moved a large portion of our population and equipment there and began to grow food and plants for our phar
maceuticals, and created manufacturing facilities within several of the asteroids. The plan had just begun to develop when the Tullizor appeared as the Grey Seer had predicted. We built Oracle to fight them as we are a peaceful nation that does not believe in violence. When that didn't work, we found an incentive to enlist humans into our military. The only problem has been, the candidates have had very little military experience, making them more or less equal to the Tullizor. That would be sufficient except the Tullizor have a large population to draw on to replace their losses, whereas we don't."

  "We have been waiting for an Anixian to be born without feathers for two hundred years," M-Seer said and laughed. "The Grey Seer meant born without feathers and wings but not an Anixian. We now understand. He saw a human–a person without feathers or wings–would come to Anixia and be accepted as an Anixian. It was difficult to believe that the person Gray Seer predicted would be young, without any military experience, and a woman. I suspected it after you developed the K-box and used it to defeat the Tullizor's five cruisers with no losses. I knew it after you defeated six Tullizor cruisers with one Anixia cruiser. If that were not enough, the results of your expedition are clear proof. Kayla, we believe you are the one the Grey Seer predicted would come to lead us back to our old ways.

  To be continued…