The Phoenix Fallacy_Book III_Magnus

by Jon Sourbeer,

  The Phoenix Fallacy

  Book III

  Jonathan Sourbeer

  Copyright © Jonathan Sourbeer 2018

  For Friends and Family:

  who never, ever, let me forget the trilogy was unfinished.

  The Phoenix Fallacy

  Is comprised of three books:

  Janus, Norm, and Magnus

  And is also known as:

  The Cog

  Contents

  Book 3: Magnus

  Chapter 1: The Two Tales

  Chapter 2: Lieutenant Jennings

  Chapter 3: The Fierce Shipmaster

  Chapter 4: Day of Infamy

  Chapter 5: Overlord, Apart

  Chapter 6: Burdens of War

  Chapter 7: Whispers of the Dead

  Chapter 8: The Race

  Chapter 9: The Flightless Bird

  Chapter 10: Phoenix on Fire

  Chapter 11: Angel of Death

  Chapter 12: The Oath

  Chapter 13: The Burn

  Chapter 14: Shame

  Chapter 15: To Join the Dust

  Chapter 16: Out of the Fire

  Chapter 17: The Trooper

  Chapter 18: To Fell a Giant

  Chapter 19: Descent

  Chapter 20: Overlord, Afar

  Chapter 21: Love Lost

  Chapter 22: Tremors of Revolution

  Chapter 23: Cracks

  Chapter 24: Setting the Board

  Chapter 25: The Puppet…

  Chapter 26: The Quake

  Chapter 27: A Crumbling Caste

  Chapter 28: …And the Strings

  Chapter 29: The Ferryman

  Chapter 30: The Devil’s Dead

  Chapter 31: The Sunder

  Chapter 32: A Giant of Green

  Chapter 33: The Underworld Beckons

  Chapter 34: Persephone

  Chapter 35: To Flee a Giant

  Chapter 36: Overlord, Alone

  Chapter 37: The Falling Angel

  Chapter 38: Declarations

  Chapter 39: Division and Determination

  Chapter 40: Those We Rely On

  Chapter 41: Minute to Midnight

  Chapter 42: From Whence All Tears Flow

  Chapter 43: The Sleeping Giant

  Chapter 44: Silent as the Grave

  Chapter 45: The Firebird’s Crown

  Chapter 46: The Traitor

  Chapter 47: Overlord, Ascendant

  Chapter 48: Those We are Bound to

  Chapter 49: Into the Abyss

  Chapter 50: Crossroads of Destiny

  Chapter 51: The Lost Legion

  Chapter 52: Father and Son

  Chapter 53: Revenant

  Chapter 54: The Bond

  Chapter 55: Firebird’s Nest

  Chapter 56: Those We Hold Onto

  Epilogue: Balance

  Valhalla’s Database

  Common Keywords

  Recovered Letters and Files

  A Thank You To My Readers

  – Book III –

  Magnus

  Norm,

  I’m writing to you because I’m extremely concerned about Magnus. He’s grown increasingly distant, and I fear for what will happen. I don’t understand – you have known him for so many years – why doesn’t he heed my advice? We both know that we are in grave danger and that Overlord Rassan is playing both sides, why does he refuse to see it? My own agents suggest there are rumblings of discontent among the others, as well, and I am torn as to what I should do – I am not supposed to be involved in the dealings of the Executors. I fear greatly what may be coming – perhaps you could speak with him?

  I know you will keep this message in the greatest confidence.

  With love,

  Natalie

  - Note discovered in the personal offices of Overlord Middleton, Cerberus Corporation

  Chapter 1: The Two Tales

  Janus awoke with a start, the cool darkness of the room disturbing his slumber. His dazed brain slowly registered his surroundings.

  Home…

  The walls of his room slowly brightened his quarters aboard Valhalla. The word repeated in his mind again – home – and he realized that, for the first time, he truly considered himself at ease within the floating city. Much had happened in the past few days.

  With his return to Cerberus less than a week ago, Janus had discovered an origin that had eluded him for nearly 20 years. He and his fellow Adepts – Celes, Marcus, Lyn, and Ramirez – had journeyed into the slums of the old Corporate city, infiltrated the upper levels, and rescued his adoptive mother, Clara. Oh, and they broke out of jail, picked up a one-hundred and fifty plus year-old man, and managed to escape the city as it was bombarded from the largest act of war between two Corporations in over two decades.

  And every single moment had been connected in some way – though either fortune or fate. After their harrowing escape, Norm, the former Phoenix Overlord, had revealed that Janus had ties to Phoenix, to Titan, and even to Cerberus in unexpected ways. And now, with the revelation that his biological mother was Natalie Jennings, that he was also the grandson of Praetor Jennings, the leader of ODIN, the Legion upon whose floating Avalon citadel, dubbed Valhalla, he now resided.

  It had been during these pronouncement that the normally controlled Praetor had lost his cool, threatening Norm for answers, and why, at the behest of his advisor, Colonel Keats, the Praetor had agreed that a break was in order. Janus and his team had only just recently returned and recovered from their previous mission, and rest was something all of them sorely needed. The moment of recovery seemed to be doing all of them a world of good, and with a cooler head, the Praetor had sent word that they would resume listening to Norm’s tale at 0800 hours.

  Janus glanced at the wall clock and saw that the time was 0700 – it had been ages since he had slept so late. Home…

  He smiled. All the pieces were in place now. With Clara safely sheltered just a few moments away in the guest quarters of the city, Janus felt his mind relax. It was if a constant thrumming in the back of his mind was gone – they had made it back home. All of them. Norm and Clara. Lyn and Ramirez. Marcus. And—Celes.

  A swift, sudden knock woke him from his reverie. “Janus,” a deep voice grunted. Janus chuckled, “I’m up, Ramirez. Give me a few to clean up, and then we can grab a bite before meeting the others.” Home, Janus reflected, was where one could find a comfortable routine.

  The Beacon of the Torch was the command room for all of ODIN and Valhalla. It rested at the very top of the floating fortress, in the middle of the massive bridge that controlled the city as it hovered across the world. There were three ‘Beacons’ in Valhalla, all designed to serve specific purposes as a meeting place. The Beacon of the Torch was the command hub, The Beacon of the Tree was the largest and where most of the learning and lessons occurred for new cadets, and The Beacon of Need, perhaps the most interesting, was designed to test the physical abilities of those who used it in ingenious and somewhat dangerous ways.

  As Janus and Ramirez entered, he saw that Praetor Jennings and Norm stood at opposite corners of the room, each separately looking out over the bridge. One in command, one in curiosity – but it was clear each was avoiding the other for now. Although he strongly suspected the pair were actually very much alike in many ways, they had once stood on very different sides. He wasn’t sure how easily they would overcome that.

  Celes, Marcus, and Lyn arrived shortly afterward, while Captain Rogers escorted Clara into the room talking animatedly with her about Valhalla. Janus gave Rogers a suspicious glare, but if Rogers noticed, he gave no sign. Sergeant Wouris, perhaps the most respected warrior in all of Valhalla next to the
Praetor, arrived with the senior officers in tow. Colonel Keats brought the room to order in moments.

  “Overlord Walden,” she motioned to the table, “please take a seat.”

  “Norm, please,” Norm said softly. “I really don’t care much for titles.”

  Keats nodded, and glanced at the Praetor, who had turned around at Norm’s pronouncement. She made a quick salute, “Praetor.” Janus and the other Adepts followed suit. Praetor Jennings grimaced, and nodded. Keats quickly motioned at the old Overlord, “Would you mind continuing your story, Norm?”

  “Not at all, but I believe that it would be better to start with Praetor Jennings. His perspective will be invaluable for framing the later events.” As Janus studied Norm’s face, he realized the man looked exhausted. From his own admission, Norm had dreaded this day would come, and it appeared he had spent the night thinking long and hard about it.

  Norm nodded weakly, “Praetor Jennings, would you mind telling us what you saw the day Phoenix fell? I’ll fill in the details when necessary.”

  Hard lines creased the Praetor’s strong features, and Janus realized he was seeing a side of vulnerability to the Praetor he hadn’t known existed. After a moment of collecting himself, the Praetor’s voice slowly trickled out, “The life of an Adept is sometimes a hard one…”

  Chapter 2: Lieutenant Jennings

  Lt. Colonel Alexander Jennings sat thoughtfully at his wall desk, its hinges creaking under the weight of his leaning body. Several parchment screens of personnel manifests, a few sketches and some drawings cluttered the impromptu workspace. His quarters were mostly sparse, with only a simple bunk and a closet full of weapons and armor giving any sign that the room was occupied. A beautifully wrought Immutium blade, featuring an elaborate purple half-moon woven into the sheath hung along the wall. A small cube containing a three-dimensional rotating picture sat upon the desk. Creases and lines were just beginning to etch his strong features, and tinge of grey speckled his brown hair.

  He sat back, his brow furrowed. The Elysium Fields – SHADE’s Avalon-class fortress – was abuzz with activity. Today a new set of recruits were to be purchased from Phoenix Corporation. He could hardly believe how cheaply they got them, but then again, he could hardly complain – the Corporation’s foolish loss was their gain. Castes – Jennings shook his head.

  After centuries of Adept interaction with the Corporations, it was still shocking to him how little they, the Adepts, were valued. Most came from the lower castes, and those very, very few who came from the top were sent by the lowest members of the elite, usually from an officer or Overlord who had been stripped of rank and demoted with little chance of recovery.

  He stared out a window. A gorgeous rocky coastline floated by, as distant seabirds called and wheeled. Or at least, it looked like they did. It wasn’t really a window – it was a MuDi projection of the world outside. He had installed it himself, with a great hit to his pay in materials. Still, it certainly made his room considerably brighter and cheerier, even if it couldn’t mimic the warmth of the sun or the outside breeze.

  He sighed. He had always admired the floating fortress Avalons, but often they made sacrifices to aesthetics and form for hard practicality. There was a reason that every SHADE Adept spent his leisure time out on one of the launching decks and few Adepts remained on the Avalon indefinitely: It really wasn’t a pleasant place to live, and certainly no place to raise a family. He supposed he was an exception to that rule, but even he had made sacrifices. He glanced at the picture in front of him.

  Many sacrifices – he turned the cube off and glanced at the sketches he had compiled. It was a new design for the Elysium Fields. He probably should have placed it directly on the fortresses’ computers, but he had decided to sketch it out by hand instead. It seemed more real to him that way.

  You can’t just turn off a sketch.

  After a moment more, he carefully folded the most recent designs and notes and placed them in his pocket – he wanted to show them to the Praetor today. But first, he had important work to attend to. He swept the rest of the papers and portable parchment screens off his desk and forced himself to look at the roster that now rolled across his wall.

  As the Personnel Officer, Jennings would be responsible for all of the newly arriving Adepts, and he now prepared the Fields for the influx of the new recruits. It would be very tight, but they simply couldn’t say no to such an excellent, and unexpected, offer. It was part of the reason he was so eager to show off his design to the Praetor. SHADE was growing too fast for itself, and it needed more space.

  Jennings mind wandered again. A new Avalon Class Fortress would be unheard of – most had been built centuries before by the Corporations – before they had realized that they were far too expensive to maintain and power.

  Originally conceived as the ultimate artillery and assault platform against the heavily entrenched defenses of a Corporation, Avalons were gigantic, powerful, and an absolute failure. Massive banks of entopic batteries could power the floating citadels, but they were an exorbitant and short-ranged solution. Not until the advent of fusion were the Avalons really practical, and even then, in their primary purpose, they were immensely useless. They could be detected from tens of kilometers away, and were simply too slow and too vulnerable for the firepower and offensive capability they delivered. So they were quickly relegated to a support role, allowing troops to be deployed quickly from a mobile location. It was of critical importance during the war – but also a hugely expensive asset and a great risk. It did not take long for the existing Avalons to be targeted, and many were destroyed. They kept constantly mobile and never were without a supporting “fleet” of defensive fighters and transports. Smaller, less expensive, and stationary outposts proved to serve the Corporations better.

  By the time the Fusion Wars ended the few remaining had all been sold at a heavy discount to the Adept Legions. Mercenaries were neutral and used by all of the Corporations. There was little risk of a Corporation attacking them simply to destroy an Avalon when it would only weaken them and not some rival. And Mercenaries were nomadic – an Avalon served as the perfect, evasive base of operations. In the hands of Mercenaries, Avalons proved to be excellent trade and exchange platforms. Even as they caused damage, they brought new wealth to the farthest corners of the Corporate empires. And after so many years of war, Mercenaries had money and resources, something the Corporations desperately needed.

  And so the Avalons that existed were few, far between, and very old. But if any Legion could build a new one, it would be SHADE. He had already worked out the process, one that would make the Corporations only too happy to comply, contracting out their massive forges for parts of the titanic undertaking. Jennings put his arms behind his head – perhaps he should even broach the topic with the Praetor before their arrival at Phoenix. Perhaps he could even start the nego—

  Two light raps sounded on his door.

  “Come,” Lt. Col. Jennings sat up, studying the scrolling roster.

  The door slid open, and Jennings waited for some sort of salutation. Receiving none, said, “Yes? I am somewhat busy at the moment.”

  “I’m afraid you’ve been relieved of duty, Colonel,” a feminine voice laughed.

  The Colonel smiled and turned around. A beautiful young woman stood before him, decked out in her full uniform, a beautifully wrought Ghostblade handle peeking out over her shoulder. Jennings sighed, shaking his head. The woman’s long flowing brown hair fell to her shoulders, and her large brown eyes captured far too many of the young men’s attentions. Her mouth was curled into a confident smile. Jennings stood and hugged her, “Why did my daughter have to turn out so beautiful? I wouldn’t have to knock away the young men if you had been a boy.” He paused, holding her at arm’s length. “Did I ever tell what your mother and I would have called you?”

  Natalie looked up at him with a smile, “Only ten million times.”

  Alexander ignored her, “Your mother and I would—
,”

  “Have named you Janus,” Father and daughter chorused together.

  “Bravest man I ever knew,” Jennings said solemnly.

  “I know,” she pulled away with a mischievous smile, “But I still think it sounds like a girl’s name. And you’re stuck with a girl anyway.”

  “Well, it wouldn’t have been a problem if you looked a little more like me.”

  She laughed, “Oh, that wouldn’t have been too bad.” Jennings puffed up a bit. “Although I think the moustache would have scared the boys off,” she made a motion with her two fingers under her nose, and the Colonel’s smile broadened. “And it’s Lieutenant now – such displays hardly seem appropriate for two officers.”

  The Colonel laughed, “Ha, if I can’t hug my daughter after not having a chance to see her for the past month, I don’t care to be an officer anymore.”

  He stepped back, making rapid motions with his hands. Have you been practicing your signs?

  Yes, daddy.

  His smile broadened, “I have no doubt you’ll be quite the officer.” He suddenly looked concerned, “Now what’s this about my being relieved of duty?”

  She punched him in the shoulder, “Don’t give me that look. You know perfectly well what it’s about. Praetor Samson has gotten so tired of putting up with your system in personnel that he decided the only reasonable course of action was to hurry up and promote you. He’s making Major Barts take over your duties full-time, starting today, and he’s bringing him along for the exchange. He said he doesn’t want to have to deal with another hard-headed fool who always turns out right, so he’s finishing Barts’ training himself.”

  “The Praetor is a devious chap, although I want know why relieved me of duty, today of all days.” Colonel Jennings rubbed his chin, “Barts has never conducted an arrival before.” He gave his daughter a hard look, “Natalie?”