Fury Of The Phoenix (Exodus)

by Robert Stadnik

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  EPILOGUE

  Novels by Robert Stadnik

  Fury Of The Phoenix

  By

  Robert Stadnik

  Exodus Series #4

  Fury Of The Phoenix

  Copyright 2012 Robert Stadnik

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  To Tom Devlin

  Thank you for being my best friend and helping me through this year.

  You see something in me that very few people can see.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Computer, begin personal log.” He cleared his throat. “I was allowed back into my quarters after power was restored to this section. The timing couldn’t have been better. I was getting sick camping out in Central and wearing the same patient outfit every day. But that’s not why I’m recording this. With PHOENIX almost being destroyed by the Screen a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to take stock of our situation. Talk through everything’s that’s happened and come to terms where we’re at. After over two years in space, how the hell did we wind up stranded in an alien star system?

  “I should start when I joined the EXODUS Project, but my joining the ship isn’t really important. The real story begins two years ago, when Admiral Johnson recruited two TERRA Academy cadets, John Roberts and Julie Olson, to command this ship. They agreed and days after they joined us we launched the PHOENIX from Earth. TERRA tried to stop us, but they weren’t a match for the ship’s advanced technology. Neither were the Screen, who tried to stop us from leaving the solar system. The first human starship to leave the solar system: what an accomplishment.

  “Our first stop was the Alpha Centauri system and we encountered our first alien race there. Well, it was just a single alien, but that counts. Drix was a Cresorian and it didn’t take long for him to become a member of our crew…shoot! Even mentioning him still hurts.

  “Anyways, Drix didn’t know much more about the Screen than we did, but he was helpful in leading us to other alien races. He took us to a trading outpost where we met all sorts of alien races who we traded with. We also found the Aldarians on their homeworld, living in their last standing city that was underground. John and Julie brought them to PHOENIX to protect them from the Screen. Despite the cultural differences, Thresha and her people didn’t seem to have trouble adjusting to life here.

  “We then found a gas alien in a cylinder on a moon. Come to find out it was imprisoned in it by the Screen. We took him home, which is ironically where we’re at now, but his race, called the Ni, made it clear they wanted nothing to do with us. It’s funny to think that it was the Ni who saved us from destruction.

  “Except for some minor skirmishes, we didn’t have much luck finding the Screen or learning anything more than them being known as a hostile race. But we continued coming across other races.

  “We visited the Volux homeworld, a race split into two countries. The nations went to war shortly after our arrival thinking we were going to give our weapons to either side. John tried his best, but they wound up obliterating each other. John blamed himself for what happened.

  “Our next alien encounter wasn’t so pleasant. We were exploring what we thought was an uninhabitable planet. Come to find out it was the home of the Io, an alien race that had computer terminals for heads. We lost a crew member, Jeffrey McCail, and the encounter really upset John.

  “During all of this there was someone on board trying to sabotage our mission. I have to give credit to John; he came up with a clever way of unmasking the saboteur. He pretended to be antagonistic to our chief engineer, Professor Donavin and it worked. Donavin fed the captain information and we discovered that Chief Sandoval was the saboteur. The chief was killed after he was discovered, and a number of people were put off the ship.

  “On the upside we became friends with the Onixins and got to spend some time on their homeworld. We then came across the Senfo’s star system, restored their homeworld’s biosphere that the Screen had contaminated, and brought the leaders out of suspended animation. We finally met the Quix, who were trapped in a nebula by the Screen where their homeworld was located. Again, we discovered the Screen were involved with trapping the Quix.

  “Because of our efforts, we entered into an alliance with the Onixins, Senfo, and Quix. The Screen somehow became aware of the alliance and were afraid we’d get the Ni involved. I guess that’s how we wound up here. The Screen were going to destroy the Ni, but the captain intervened. PHOENIX went up against over a hundred Screen ships defending the Ni’s homeworld. We would’ve been destroyed if it wasn’t for the gas aliens.

  “I wish the Ni would’ve acted sooner. PHOENIX was nearly destroyed and it’s going to take months to repair her. We lost hundreds of crew members, including Drix, Donavin, and our operations officer, Alex’sis Brandus. We recently found out the captain had been in a romantic relationship with her. He discovered his sister had died a couple years ago, now to lose Alex’sis….I’m worried about him. I’ve hardly seen him in the last couple of weeks. Word is he’s keeping to himself in his quarters and only comes out if absolutely necessary.

  “For now, we’re at the mercy of our alien friends and none of us know how long we’ll be here, or if PHOENIX will ever be ship-worthy again. All we can do is hope that things turn out for the best.

  “This is Chris Anne, morale officer for the PHOENIX. Computer, end log.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  The Dusty Red Devil was a popular restaurant and bar in Crimson City. Its large bay windows gave spectacular views of the Martian landscape. The place was often packed with patrons, most of them TERRA officers who were stationed on Mars.

  Mitch Brandus was a common fixture at bar. He stopped by nightly on his way home to the Red Rose district so he could share a drink with the officers who served under him. It was his way of fostering morale and showing his lieutenants and commanders that, despite his admiral title, he was no different than them. Even after people learned his daughter Alex’sis was serving on the rogue starship EXODUS as its senior operations officer, his officers still treated him with respect. The admiral was too well liked for his reputation to be tarnished by the despicable actions of his daughter.

  After mingling with some officers and discussing minor business, the
admiral took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. He never showed it, but he was still struggling with his daughter’s choice to serve on that accursed starship. For almost a year after EXODUS left, Admiral Brandus was closely watched by TERRA Security. Because of Alex’sis’ actions, the admiral’s loyalties to TERRA were questioned. Although he was eventually exonerated from any wrongdoing, the admiral felt he had been ostracized and was no longer part of the military’s inner circle.

  Admiral Jensen retired from TERRA three months ago, leaving a vacancy in the command council. It was rumored that Admiral Brandus was next in line to join the command council, so he was shocked when Admiral Devlin was appointed to the council instead. It was like a slap in the face, but Brandus never questioned the council’s decision. In the end, he was a military officer and accepted that their decision was made in the best interest of TERRA. He would recover from this, but he was still mad. He blamed Alex’sis for robbing him of his promotion. What was she thinking when she took off with that ship? He never taught her to rebel against TERRA. He was so proud when Admiral Johnson invited her to join the classified EXODUS Project. What a fool Brandus had been for not realizing what Oliver was up to.

  “Alert! Special report from ELM News.” That got the admiral’s attention. He was certain it had to do with the EXODUS. It seemed the only news alert the past couple of years had to do with that damned ship.

  The news anchor appeared on the monitor. “Good evening. It’s been several months since any new transmissions from the starship PHOENIX was received by this station. Late last night we received a data file containing the latest video logs from the starship. The date index on the files indicate that the events detailed in the logs occurred almost five months ago.

  “The PHOENIX engaged in a fight against an armada of Screen ships in an attempt to protect the homeworld of an alien race. PHOENIX survived the battle but sustained significant damage. It is with a heavy heart to report that the ship suffered heavy casualties, with over seven hundred eighty people killed. We know there are family and friends who have people on PHOENIX and our hearts go out to them. We are publishing the names of the deceased so that we may come together to mourn those we have lost. To all of us at ELM News, our thoughts are with you.”

  A list of names scrolled down on the screen. The admiral pulled his DAT out and accessed the news feed. Without any hesitation he typed Alex’sis’ name, wanting to see if his daughter was on the list. His heart sank as his DAT confirmed her name was on the list. Despite her choices, she was a strong individual, a perfect military officer. To know now that she was dead…

  He was proud when she was transferred from her duties at TERRA headquarters on Luna to the EXODUS Project. For someone so young to be assigned to a classified project was a rare privilege. Her appointment would have helped the admiral in his efforts to join the command council. But that changed when Johnson’s experimental starship escaped the solar system. Almost immediately Admiral Brandus experienced the fallout as TERRA security quickly appeared at his office in Crimson City. His interrogations were extensive as security was certain he had some knowledge of what went on at the EXODUS Project. After three days of questioning, he was allowed to return to duty, but his responsibilities were curtailed. High level projects he oversaw were transferred to other admirals, leaving him with nothing more than rudimentary duties to oversee.

  What really hurt was when the open command council seat was given to Admiral Devlin. All Brandus could do was remain silent and congratulate Devlin on the appointment. But Brandus realized that his daughter’s actions had forever tainted him. He would never sit on the council. His career was essentially over. He would never advance any higher and never be able to transfer to a new department within TERRA.

  The admiral didn’t know how to react to his daughter’s death. He was angry at her for sabotaging his career, yet she was his only child. He felt something, but wasn’t sure what it was.

  This wasn’t the place to wrestle with his conflicting emotions. He had more pressing matters to attend to. Five months ago security finally learned how EXODUS was sending messages covertly to the solar system. With that knowledge, the Mars communications group was able to block them. So how did this transmission get past them and reach Earth? This didn’t make sense. The council was adamant that all of EXODUS’ transmissions be blocked.

  Admiral Brandus paid his tab and made a hasty departure from the bar. He walked down the sidewalk through the enclosed Martian city, not paying attention to any of the civilians or officers around him. It wasn’t too long of a walk back to the TERRA military facility in the Prime Meridian district. Brandus was determined to find out how this message got through. Regardless of his current standing in TERRA, he was duty bound to learn why the communications team failed in their job.

  The admiral arrived at his office and found his staff had gone home for the day. He was surprised when he opened his office door to find several individuals inside.

  “Commander Drake,” said a stunned Brandus, seeing the head of TERRA Earth Security sitting behind his desk. Since the incident in Bolivia there had been an increased number of TERRA Academy graduates being recruited to Earth Security Force. Commander Drake relocated to Luna, saying he could more effectively conduct his duties at TERRA headquarters. Brandus knew the real reason: the commander didn’t want to stay on Earth if things fell apart between TERRA and the government. For Drake to be here on Mars was unusual. Where was Commander Mumbara? He was the head of Mars Security?

  Drake addressed Brandus with almost a condescending attitude. “I was told you were done for the day.”

  “I was,” replied Brandus. “But I saw the news report about the latest transmission from the EXODUS. I thought we were blocking their messages.”

  Drake put his feet on Brandus’ desk and leaned back in the chair. “The Mars team was directed to let this transmission go through.”

  That surprised Brandus. Such an act was in direct violation of the command council’s orders. “Why? All it’ll do is encourage the PHOENIX movement.”

  “The leak was done by order of Admiral Vespia,” replied Drake.

  That made sense. Brandus was aware of Vespia’s reputation. She tended to do things how she saw fit, even if it didn’t align with the command council’s wishes.

  “She’s conducting a sensitive operation, the details of which I cannot divulge to you,” continued Drake.

  “Of course.” Brandus knew what Drake meant. He was no longer part of TERRA’s inner circle and considered untrustworthy.

  “I saw your daughter was on the list of the deceased,” said Drake. “My condolences for your loss.”

  “Thank you.” Brandus knew Drake’s words were hollow. Alex’sis was considered a traitor. Drake, like the rest of TERRA, was probably glad she was dead.

  “With such a massive loss of life on EXODUS, the command council believes the remaining crew will be unable to operate the ship,” explained Drake. “Too many of the lost crew provided critical functions to the ship.”

  “Is the command council dismissing its chances?” asked Brandus. “They were convinced EXODUS would not survive a month in space under the command of Cadets Roberts and Olson, yet here we are two years later…”

  “The ship is stranded in an alien star system, damaged beyond repair,” interrupted Drake. “It may have taken longer, but they did fail their mission.”

  “EXODUS has forged alliances,” reminded Brandus.

  “With aliens who have no working knowledge of our technology,” countered Drake. “Without knowing how EXODUS’ systems operate, they cannot repair her. That’s why the transmission was leaked. Once people learn EXODUS was nearly destroyed and is stranded, people will lose faith and the PHOENIX movement will die out.”

  At that moment, Brandus realized what TERRA intended to do. Drake was sent here to spread propaganda that EXODUS was hopelessly lost. Despite the ship’s crew risking their lives to defend an alien race, TERRA was simply going to era
se their importance and make them out to be nothing more than failures. They, and Alex’sis, deserved better than to have their sacrifices swept under the rug.

  If he had a pulse gun Brandus would have shot Drake right there and then. But he needed to maintain his composure. “Is there anything I can do for you?” Those words were the hardest he ever had to say.

  “I’ll be here for the next couple of days,” said Drake. “I’ll need to use your office.”

  “I understand,” replied Brandus, who now looked at his colleague with disdain. His daughter was dead. She may have died light years away, but she did manage to open his eyes. TERRA was not the organization he thought it was. He wasn’t sure what he would do, but Brandus vowed that the actions of the EXODUS crew would not be forgotten.

  On Earth, it was beautiful night in Richmond, Virginia. The Block family had dinner together for the first time in months. Admiral Block used the dinner to try and convince his wife that they all needed to return to Mars, but she refused.

  After the dinner, David made a quick exit and met with Billy Pedia in the hidden communications hideout. When the computer alerted David that a message had been received matching PHOENIX encryption protocols, he notified Billy and the pair made arrangements to meet tonight to review and distribute the transmission.

  Neither could say anything as they watched the transmission. PHOENIX had defied the odds and survived in space for two years. How could things go horribly wrong so quickly.

  “They shouldn’t have tried to protect those gas aliens,” remarked David.

  “Knock it off,” replied Billy angrily. “John did what he thought was best.”

  “But look at what’s happened. They’ve lost so many people and the ship’s was almost destroyed.”

  “John’s managed to get them this far, he’ll come up with something,” said Billy.

  Suddenly, an explosion rocked the two officers from behind and they ducked to avoid the debris flying everywhere. Smoke billowed around them and neither could see what was going on. Then, several pairs of hands grabbed them and pulled them off the ground.