Phoenix In Chaos (Exodus)

by Robert Stadnik

  “Good,” said John. “Let’s all continue to monitor the planet’s communication traffic, see if we can learn anything more about them.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The captain, Lieutenant Brandus, and security officer Greg Davers were standing side by side in the hangar bay, watching as the sleek silver Mirimiss shuttle enter and touch down.

  “Acknowledged,” said Davers, who was receiving security details about the shuttle from the security office through his pip. “Captain, security reports that the shuttle isn’t armed and no weapons are detected inside of it. They also verify five Volux are on board.”

  “At least they agreed to the meeting parameters,” said Alex’sis. “Four delegates and the pilot.”

  John looked at Davers. “Once we’ve escorted the Mirimiss delegation from the hangar, have a security team posted by the shuttle.” After going back and forth with the Cruo leadership, they finally agreed to meet tomorrow, a day after the Mirimiss meeting. But it was tough convincing the Cruo to wait. Volux culture held significant importance on time and both nations required meeting new individuals quickly as a sign of respect.

  “What if the pilot protests?” asked Davers as the shuttle powered down.

  “The pilot shouldn’t argue,” said John. “The Mirimiss was told it’s part of our security protocol.”

  “Understood,” said Davers as the shuttle door opened. “Hangar deck to security, verify video surveillance.”

  “Video confirmed,” said the security office. “We’ve got a perfect view of the hangar deck.”

  “Here we go,” said John as the Mirimiss delegates emerged. Three Volux stepped out, all dressed in long multicolored robes and each wearing hats that reminded John of fezzes. What was odd was they wore hats on both their cranial structures. Through the monitoring of the Volux homeworld they learned the faceless head contained the Volux brain while the other head contained all their sensory components: ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. The last Volux to step out was Ministruel Nurof.

  The Volux looked around their alien surroundings. John gave them a few moments to get acquainted with the environment before approaching them. Once he felt he had given them enough time to look around, he proceeded towards them, with Alex’sis and Davers following behind him.

  “Ministruel Nurof, welcome to PHOENIX,” said John. The three Volux looked at the captain, and he found it a bit unnerving that the expressions on their faces did not change. No smiles or frowns, just neutral looks.

  “Captain Roberts,” said Nurof, approaching the young captain. “On behalf of the peaceful Mirimiss Federated, welcome to our system. As a token of our hope for a success exchange, may I present this gift to you.”

  One of the Volux stepped forward offering John a black hexagonal rock. As John took it, colors glimmered from it and a soft tone could be heard.

  “It is a gorun crystal,” said Noruf. “Legend says it can reflect the soul of an individual.”

  “Sensors indicate the crystal contains nothing harmful,” said security in Daver’s pip. He nodded to verify he heard their message.

  “Thank you for the gift,” said John. They had agreed that no gift offerings would be done in the first meeting, so he didn’t feel bad he had nothing to offer Noruf. “May I introduce my senior operations officer, Lieutenant Alex’sis Brandus and security officer Greg Davers.”

  “Lieutenant Brandus, Officer Davers,” said Noruf as he nodded to them. “These are my assistants. Their names are not important. They are merely here to assist in our negotiations.”

  John nodded to Noruf’s assistants, who made no motion to acknowledge John. “If you come this way, we’ll head to our board room to begin the meeting.”

  “Will we not conduct a tour of your ship first?” said Nurof.

  “We have strict quarantine protocols that must be followed,” said Alex’sis. “Until our medical staff has determined that any microbes you are carrying are not harmful to humans, we must remain in the quarantine zone established between the hangar and board room.”

  “Is it customary for your subordinates to speak out of turn?” asked Nurof. Alex’sis took his comment as an insult and she had to bite her lip from blurting something offensive at him.

  “Although I am the designated leader of the ship,” said John. “We encourage collaboration among the entire crew. Lieutenant Brandus is correct. We have medical protocols that must be adhered to, for your protection as well as ours. Once our doctors have given clearance, I’d be happy to give you a tour of the ship.” John wasn’t inclined to show the Mirimiss the ship. Chief Sandoval reported there had been continuous attempts by both the Mirimiss and Cruo to probe the ship. Luckily, the chief had been successful in thwarting their efforts.

  Nurof looked at his assistants, but nothing was said between them. John got the distinct impression they were not pleased being put off on touring the ship to later.

  “We are ready to go to your board room,” said the ministruel.

  “Right this way,” said John as he took the lead. They chatted a little bit on the way, but the conversation was nothing of importance. Nurof provided some information about his people, but what he said was already known by the crew through their surveillance of the planet. As they headed to the board room, a security team entered the hangar and took a position around the Mirimiss shuttle.

  In the board room, John took his seat at the head of the table as the Mirimiss delegation sat on one side and Alex’sis sat on the other side. Davers removed himself from the meeting, taking his place outside the board room to ensure no one disturbed the meeting.

  John offered the Mirimiss a selection of fruit juices to drink. The Volux’s diet was heavily based on the consumption of fruits native to their planet. John hoped they would find something appealing in one of Earth’s fruits, and he was right. All four seemed to enjoy sampling the different beverages.

  “You are a generous race, with hospitality not known to other species we have dealt with,” said Nurof.

  “We’re out here to explore the galaxy and learn about other races,” said John. “We believe that through cooperation and fostering a spirit of friendship both sides can benefit from what each has to offer.” Not bad, John thought he threw out a pretty good statement there.

  “It is difficult to accept the claim you have only begun space exploration,” said Nurof.

  “Perhaps I can expand on the captain’s initial statement,” said Alex’sis. “Humans have traveled through space for over a century, but this ship was the result of an ambitious project our people undertook. Currently, PHOENIX is the only human starship to have traveled so far from our star system.” Alex’sis wasn’t lying outright, humans had traveled through space for over a century. It was just that the space travel was limited to within the solar system.

  “It is apparent your race has invested much time to build this remarkable vessel,” said Nurof. “I can only assume it has been equipped with sufficient armaments to defend it as it travels through unknown space.”

  “It has offensive and defensive capabilities,” said John. “But it’s no different than any other vessel we’ve encountered so far.”

  “Still, your weapons may be able to assist my people,” said Nurof.

  “What do you want?” asked Alex’sis, who made no effort to hide the disdain in her voice. If all they wanted was to get a hold of PHOENIX’s weapons, they would be walking away empty-handed.

  “Your arrival could not have come at a better time,” said Nurof. “The Cruo have always been hostile, but in recent uvox that hostility has increased. They attack our cities without provocation and detain our citizens without cause. We cannot even send ships in orbit without the Cruo shooting them down. It has become an untenable situation.

  “We are a peaceful people who avoid conflict, but the Cruo are only interested in conquest. It is difficult to admit, but they have surpassed us in military technology with their heavy investment in research. Unless we can demonstrate we can withstand a
Cruo attack, it is only a matter of time before they overrun us.”

  The PHOENIX had been monitoring civilian and government transmissions, and John and Alex’sis knew some of what Nurof said was true. The Cruo was aggressive, but the Mirimiss was just as hostile towards their enemy. Both countries had committed atrocities against one another. What’s more, both governments had mandated that acquiring weapons technology from PHOENIX was their top priority as each side believed it was the answer to ending the conflict.

  “I sympathize with your situation,” said John, who’s only goal was to learn about any information the Volux might have on the Screen. “However, you have to understand my position. You’re asking me to trade our weapons, technology that could have dire consequences on your planet. We have no dispute with either you or the Cruo and don’t want to do anything that gives one side a military advantage.”

  “Is it not in your mandate to help allies?” said Nurof.

  “We’ve only arrived to your system a day ago,” Alex’sis pointed out. “We have no formal military agreement requiring us to supply you with weapons.”

  “Then I propose we discuss cementing a permanent relationship between our peoples,” said Nurof.

  Nurof may be an alien, but John looked at him no different than other politicians back home. John wanted to forge alliances with alien races, but not like this. An alliance with the Mirimiss would mean making an enemy with the Cruo. It could drag PHOENIX into a prolong conflict.

  “You’re willing to enter an alliance with a race you barely know?” asked John. “Is the situation on your world that desperate?”

  “The conflict on our world will not end unless either the Mirimiss or Cruo have been subdued,” said Nurof. “For the good of my people, I am willing to take that risk.”

  “I’m sorry,” said John. “But the conflict between the Volux nations is something we can’t involve ourselves in. Any trade between us will have to be limited to consumer goods.”

  “And if all we desire from you are your military goods?” asked Nurof.

  “Then we have nothing further to discuss,” said John. “And you wasted your time coming here.”

  Nurof leaned towards his advisors and they whispered among each other. Neither John nor Alex’sis could make out what they were saying. John knew he was taking a risk, but the ministruel’s insistence forced the captain to outline the limits of what they would be willing to trade. He hoped he wasn’t risking any information the Volux might have about the Screen.

  “Nurof looked at John and smiled. “I commend your negotiating skills, captain. Let us engage in talks on those goods you would be willing to part with.”

  John was relieved. They just got past the first hurdle. For the next few hours they engaged in what turned out to be pleasant negotiations. By the end of the meeting, both sides had agreed to an exchange. Nurof would return to his capital and make the arrangements for a shipment to be made to PHOENIX in the next few days. John decided to hold off asking the Mirimiss about the Screen until after they returned with the trade shipment.

  Once the meeting was done, Nurof wasted no time asking for a tour of the ship. Luckily, Alex’sis had sent a message to Doctor Myers asking him to come up with a medical reason why the Mirimiss delegation could not explore PHOENIX. So when John contacted him for medical clearance, the doctor informed him that the computer had flagged a bacterial strain in the Volux as potentially harmful to humans. Until he came up with a counteragent to the strain, the Volux could not leave the quarantine zone. Nurof, although not pleased with the news, accepted it.

  After the Mirimiss delegation left PHOENIX, John and Alex’sis went to medical. As they were being evaluated from their exposure to the Volux, Julie arrived at security.

  “The Mirimiss shuttle is heading back to the planet,” Julie said to Sandoval as she entered his office. The chief looked completely engrossed by the data displayed on his desk monitors.

  “I’m tracking them now,” said Sandoval, who didn’t bother to look up at Julie. “I’ll give the Mirimiss credit, they have pretty sophisticated stealth technology to be able to fly past all the Cruo satellites and not get picked up.”

  “The Cruo will probably have just as easy of a time flying past the Mirimiss satellites when they come here tomorrow. How’s their attempts to probe PHOENIX been going?”

  Sandoval switched one of his monitor displays over to a new screen. “Both sides have gotten more aggressive. I’ve been able to block their probe attempts and neither side thinks we have anything to do with it. In fact, they each suspect the other as somehow being responsible for their lack of success.”

  “I can’t imagine living on such a paranoid world,” said Julie.

  “Probably wasn’t any different when Earth was full of warring nations,” said Sandoval.

  “You really think our ancestors behaved like the Volux?”

  “Probably.”

  The chief’s one word answer did nothing to convince Julie that humans used to act like the Volux nations behaved. The Volux saw conspiracies everywhere. It amazed Julie that they could get anything done.

  “The Mirimiss shuttle has safely arrived at their capital city,” Sandoval said as he checked his monitors.

  “So far, so good,” said Julie. “Now we just have to deal with Cruo.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The senior staff assembled on the command deck, watching the Cruo shuttle on the holographic display as it emerged from the planet’s atmosphere.

  “Cruo shuttle is on course towards PHOENIX,” reported Julie.

  “I’m reading five Volux on the shuttle,” added Alex’sis.

  “Four delegates and a pilot,” muttered John. At least the Cruo were behaving like the Mirimiss and adhering to the meeting parameters.

  “Amazing how different Cruo ships are compared to the Mirimiss,” remarked Chris. Unlike the sleek silver shuttles the Mirimiss built, the Cruo shuttles were orange and blocky.

  “Cruo culture prefers function over form,” explained Bret, who had become familiar with the Volux nations through the hours he spent watching and listening to their broadcasts. The Mirimiss buildings and vehicles were elegant and graceful, while Cruo architecture was large and uniform, with no effort put into style.

  “Any indication that the Mirimiss satellites have detected the shuttle?” John asked Alex’sis.

  “Not so far, captain. The stealth device on the Cruo shuttle is masking their signal from the satellites.”

  “I’m not picking up any chatter from the planet that the Mirimiss have detected it,” added Bret.

  “Good,” said John. “Captain to Davers. Status of hangar bay.”

  “Security is standing by,” replied Davers. “We’re ready to receive the shuttle.”

  “Chief Sandoval’s reporting that both countries are continuing their attempts at probing PHOENIX,” said Julie, reading the message from the chief off her table display.

  “You’d think they give up by now,” remarked Chris.

  “They probably won’t until we leave,” said John.

  Suddenly, the operations table beeped a warning. Alex’sis checked the alert. “Captain, I’m reading several energy discharges coming from Mirimiss territory.”

  They watched as three red energy bolts shot from the planet. Before anyone could react, the bolts struck the Cruo shuttle, obliterating it.

  “Lieutenant!” said John. He couldn’t believe what they just witnessed. Did someone just fire upon the shuttle?

  “Captain, the shuttle took a direct hit,” reported Alex’sis, checking the sensors. She verified the readings before saying anything. “There’s nothing left. All hands are lost.”

  Although he didn’t pull the trigger, John felt solely responsible for the deaths of the Cruo. But he didn’t have time to wallow in guilt.

  “Captain,” said Bret. “We’re getting a transmission from the Mirimiss. It’s Ministruel Nurof.”

  John’s guilt was quickly replaced with anger
hearing Noruf’s name. “Open a channel.” As soon as the ministruel’s image came over the operations table, John laid into him. “Why the hell did you attack the shuttle!? They weren’t a threat!”

  “How dare you attempt to dictate terms to us,” said Nurof, equally angry. “You were covertly meeting with the Cruo to provide them weapons.”

  “Our meeting with the Cruo was the same as yours,” countered John. “To conduct trade talks for consumer goods only.”

  “You lie, captain. I have verified intelligence reports confirming you agreed to provide the Cruo with weapons to conquer us.”

  John’s blood boiled. To hell with diplomacy, the Volux seemed incapable of reasoning. “Your information’s wrong. If your intelligence wasn’t so paranoid…”

  “Our military leaders were right,” interrupted Nurof. “You have aligned yourself with the Cruo to wipe out the Mirimiss and divide our resources. You may have superior technology, but the Mirimiss will never submit to you or the Cruo.”

  Before John could respond, Nurof’s image disappeared.

  “The Mirimiss have terminated the transmission,” reported Bret.

  “Get him back and raise the Cruo,” ordered John.

  “I can’t,” replied Bret. “Neither country will answer my hails. There’s a lot of high level messages being sent between them. They’re accusing each other of conspiring with us.”

  “Keep trying,” said John, frustrated how badly things were turning out.

  “Captain,” said Chris. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I sure as hell don’t feel like it.”

  “He’s right,” said Julie. “We came here with peaceful intentions.”

  “If they go to war…,” but John couldn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t want to think of the outcome if it came to that. Millions of lives could be at stake, and he didn’t want to be responsible for them.

  Bret tried contacting the leaders of both nations, but they refused to answer. As the hours passed all hell seemed to break loose on the planet. The crew continued to monitor the Volux’s communications network. They listened as both countries continued to accuse each other of forming a military alliance with PHOENIX.