Fury Of The Phoenix (Exodus)

by Robert Stadnik

  Zuk’s three eyes looked up at the chief. “Two Rifva live on this vessel.”

  “We’ve already eliminated Mu as a suspect.” Davers brought up data of the DNA analysis. “We took DNA samples of all the aliens rescued from the Onixin freighter. The DNA matches your genetic code.”

  Zuk smiled, something Davers didn’t expect. John was also disturbed by the Rifva’s reaction. “Is this normal behavior for your people?” he asked Mu.

  “No, it is not. I have never witnessed a Rifva act unaffected by the loss of any life.”

  Davers waited for Zuk to reply, but the Rifva said nothing. “We’re going to have to detain you in the brig until we determine what to do with you. This is your one opportunity to tell your side of the story.”

  Zuk said nothing, his attention focused on the dead images of Geoff. Davers gave up trying to get anything out of the Rifva, and switched off the images.

  “Take him away,” he ordered the guards.

  “He was sad,” said Zuk. Davers halted his exit and turned back around. Zuk looked at the chief. “I watched him. Every day I watched him as he cried eating his morning sustenance, mourning the loss of his mate.”

  John read Geoff’s biographical file and remembered reading the tech was engaged to an engineer, David Cornell. David was killed during the Screen’s attack on PHOENIX at the Ni star system. John closed his eyes, realizing how Geoff must have felt losing a loved one. John remembered the pain he went through losing Alex’sis, and how he felt he couldn’t go on without her.

  “You humans make a strong connection with your mates,” said Mu to John. “Although I could not understand, it bothered me to see someone so sad. I tried to comfort him when he visited the café. Mario tried as well, but could not help Geoff.”

  “It’s devastating to lose someone you care about,” said John.

  “Did you go through the same thing as Geoff when you lost your Lieutenant Brandus?” asked Mu.

  “Yeah. Maybe if I would have known about Geoff…” But John stopped himself from completing that thought. Even if he was in an emotional position to offer support, there were so many people on board who lost crew members they loved. Geoff was only one among many. How could John have known one crew member needed more help over another?

  Davers sat back down at the table in the interview room. “Why’d you kill him?” he asked Zuk.

  “He could not function without his mate,” replied Zuk. “On our world, Rifva mate with whoever is available. We do not commit ourselves to a single individual. This Geoff was wasting his life mourning the loss of a single mate, and it sickened me.” Zuk began to talk as if Davers was no longer there, his eyes drifting off. “I began to despise his existence, and slowly came up with a way to end his life. I followed him for weeks, learning his schedule, looking for the perfect opportunity to strike. I finally found him alone in a maintenance corridor. The first cut was across his throat. I learned about human anatomy and knew it would cut off his ability to breathe. He looked pitiful as he struggled. This human, who did not want to live, suddenly fought to stay alive. I was angry, and started slicing him. I wanted him to have a reason to fight back. Human flesh was so easy to tear through. He fought for so long, but he soon fell silent and stopped moving.”

  Zuk had this sickening grin on his face. “The power to take away a life felt good. I realized what I had been missing. Do you know what it is like to take a life like that?”

  John didn’t need to have an understanding of Rifva culture to recognize he was looking at a psychotic killer. But what scared him was the thought he acted the same way when he tortured the Screen during his breakdown. As sickening as it was to think, John understood when Zuk said how exhilarating it was to take a life. John felt that when he killed that Screen. How different was he from Zuk?

  “You’ll be confined to the brig,” Davers informed Zuk. He motioned to the guards, who escorted the Rifva out of the interview room.

  “Captain, if people learn what Zuk has done, they may blame me,” said a worried Mu.

  John composed himself. “No one’s going to hold you responsible for what Zuk did just because you’re the same race. It’ll be ok.”

  Davers emerged from the interview room. “Good thing we got him before he killed again.”

  “We’ll have to keep him locked up until we hear from the Rifva homeworld,” said John. He looked at Mu. “The sooner you contact your people, the better.”

  “I can give you the coordinates of homeworld,” offered Mu.

  “You can use the terminal in my office,” instructed Davers.

  “Thanks, chief,” said John. “You two go on ahead. I’ll catch up with Julie and let her know the latest.”

  After what he witnessed in security, John was looking forward to some downtime. He cleared the rest of his day’s schedule and showed up to The Lounge, which was packed full of people. With the influx of new crewmembers, both The Lounge and Smitty’s were jammed pack with new officers and civilians wanting to experience city life on PHOENIX.

  John found David sitting with Julie at a table at the far end of the bar. Both Chris and Max were too busy at the bar serving customers to offer John nothing more than a quick hello as he walked by them.

  John told them what happened in security as he sipped some wine.

  “So what are you going to do with him?” David asked.

  “We’ll have to wait for the Rifva’s response to Mu’s message’,” explained John. “We can’t do much until then.”

  “You want to let them decide what should be done with Zuk?” asked Julie.

  “He killed a human, but it might not be our place to pass judgment on his crime,” said John.

  “Even though he killed one of our people,” Julie point out.

  “We need to get the Rifva government’s input on this,” said John. “Despite my personal feelings, I can’t risk an interstellar incident. We just defeated one enemy. We don’t need to make enemies with another race.”

  “I understand. I never expected something like this could happen,” commented Julie. “Thanks for giving me the update. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some people to talk to.” She used the excuse so John and David could have some time alone.

  David looked around the bar as Julie left them. “It’s amazing what you’ve accomplished here.”

  “It’s the people at the EXODUS Project who built all this,” said John. “I just command the ship.”

  “Yeah, but it’s because of you PHOENIX survived,” said David. “And you’ve managed to create an environment where humans and aliens live and work together successfully.”

  John blushed with embarrassment. “I’m glad you’re here to experience this. I wish Billy could have joined us.”

  “He couldn’t pass up the position offered to him.” Billy was promoted to commander and given command of the Mars communications station for his efforts in providing PHOENIX’s transmissions to the media. As much as he wanted a chance to serve on PHOENIX with his friends, this opportunity was too good to pass up.

  David was not so fortunate. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, but wasn’t promised a position anywhere in fleet. He was merely told he could apply for open positions. David knew why he wasn’t enjoying the same windfall as Billy, and it was because of his father. Admiral Block was a staunch supporter of Admiral Donalds and fiercely resisted the changes instituted by Admiral Vespia. David’s father lost his commission and was expelled along with many of the admirals in the fleet. But David was a casualty of his father’s actions as the young man was being associated with his father. As a result, no one was willing to have David work for them He suspected he would never advance far in TERRA because of his dad.

  “I’ll have to keep in regular contact with him,” said John, referring to Billy.

  “I had a chance to talk to Julie for a little bit,” said David. “She told me about you and Alex’sis Brandus. I’m sorry what happened to her, but I’m glad you found someone to care abou
t.”

  “She was amazing,” admitted John. “I wish I never would have kept our relationship a secret. Of all the military rules to follow, I had to follow that one.”

  “Well, you didn’t,” David pointed out. “You did fraternize with a fellow officer, you just kept quiet about it.”

  John smiled. “That’s exactly what Alex’sis said when she argued with me about telling the crew.” John looked over and saw Julie sitting with an engineer. They both had smiles as they held hands, enjoying each other’s company. John was happy that Julie had found someone to care about. He hoped she never would experience what he went through when he lost Alex’sis.

  Up in medical, the evening staff were busy getting settled in for their shifts. None of them paid any attention to a black rectangular bot as it came in and did some light cleaning. After cleaning around the main surgical bay, the bot went to the main science lab. With no one in the lab, the bot went over to a table and attached a small listening device underneath it. It did exactly what Betty Christen programmed it to do. She now had the ability to listen in on any conversations in the lab, a lab where the Io module was kept.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “Teams six through thirteen have finished their sweep of their quadrant,” reported Tim. “Nothing on their scopes.”

  John wasn’t satisfied. “Have them double-back and check again.” He had nearly all of PHOENIX’s shuttle fleet and the entire fighter bot group searching the planet for the Io, looking for any sign of the cyborg aliens or the displaced PHOENIX crewmembers.

  “Has anyone picked up any Io energy signatures?” John asked Julie.

  “Nothing, not so much of a residual signature.”

  “Excursion Team A to PHOENIX.” That was the group sent to the area where the transport shuttle was left and the cave where John found the Io facility and Jeffrey’s head.

  “Go ahead,” said Julie.

  “The cave is vacant, captain. Except for some small metal debris, there’s nothing here. All the equipment reported by Captain Roberts is gone.”

  “What about the transport shuttle?” asked John.

  “No sign of it, sir.”

  “The missiles we fired on the planet struck that area,” said Julie to the team leader. “There should be some shuttle debris.”

  “We’ve checked for that, but there’s not so much of a shred of metal down here,” replied the leader.

  John wasn’t happy with the news. If the Io left the planet using the shuttle, a shuttle John left behind, he would be responsible for any harm that came to anyone.

  “Continue your search of the area,” ordered John. “If you find nothing, we’ll conclude the mission at the end of the day.”

  “Understood, captain. Excursion Team A out.”

  “Is there any way to know if the Io took the shuttle off the planet?” John asked Korifluxinina.

  “Unlikely, John Roberts. We would detect a residual ion trail if the shuttle recently left the planet. But if the Io left months ago, the trail would have already dissipated.”

  “I may be paranoid,” said John. “But we need to contact the alliance homeworlds and warn them about the Io.”

  Julie felt John was jumping the gun, but she understood where he was coming from. He was scared and didn’t want anyone else to suffer the same fate as Jeffrey McCail. “I’ll have them alert their ships to keep an eye out for the shuttle and transmit the data we have on the Io.”

  X was watching John as he worked. This was the first opportunity for the bot to watch his owner in his position as ship’s captain, and the bot was fascinated by how John handled himself.

  John headed to his office with X following right behind him. “You show signs of stress. Such behavior is not typical of you.”

  John poured himself a glass of water and slumped on the couch. “It’s a long horrid tale, X. The Io are dangerous.”

  “Your past interactions with these Io did not go well?” concluded X.

  “That’s putting it mildly,” confirmed John. “I was hoping I didn’t have to deal with them again, but I’ve got a bad feeling I’m not getting that wish.”

  “What will you do if you encounter them?” asked the bot.

  There was no question in John’s mind what he would do. “Obliterate them out of the stars.”

  Down in the botanical gardens, David was doing some exploring. He heard about the gardens and decided to spend time here before reporting for duty. John told him Alex’sis Brandus was buried here, and he wanted to pay his respects to her. It wasn’t hard for David to find her gravestone, and grave markers for Drix and Sulix. He had heard people talking about Drix, especially the Cresorians now living on PHOENIX. Many of them whose vessels were damaged beyond repair defending the solar system against the Screen were permitted to move onto the human starship.

  As David looked at the headstones, he saw a woman in white robes emerge from the trees, carrying a boutique of flowers. It took a few moments for David to recognize her as an Aldarian. He was still having a hard time keeping track of all the alien races on the ship.

  “Hello,” she said as she knelt down and placed the flowers down.

  “Hi,” said David nervously. “If you want me to leave so you can have time alone…”

  “Not at all. Chris usually handles bringing fresh flowers to our friends; however, he asked me to take care of it this morning.” The woman stood back up and bowed to David. “I am Thresha.”

  “David Block.”

  “Yes, a friend of Captain Roberts from Earth. He has told me many stories about you and Billy Pedia.”

  “I wish I could say the same thing, but the truth is John and I haven’t spent much time together since I’ve come on board.”

  “The captain has precious little time since the Screen was defeated,” said Thresha. “I have seen little of him as well. Many people vie for his attention these days.”

  “I’ve been reading PHOENIX’s historical logs,” said David. “You were the second alien race the ship encountered.”

  Thresha nodded. “My people were fortunate to be offered sanctuary on this ship.”

  “And all your people are here?” Thresha nodded again, which dumbfounded David. He had a hard time believing that the logs stated the entire Aldarian race was living on PHOENIX.

  “Our city was at risk of no longer sustaining us, and the continued threat of the Screen made it too risky to remain on our world,” explained Thresha.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” said David. “Now that the Screen have been defeated, will you be going back home?”

  “That, along with other issues, are currently being considered by a group of my people,” said Thresha.

  “I see,” replied David.

  “If I may, you seem unsure of yourself,” said Thresha.

  “Unsure? I don’t understand,” replied David.

  “I sense your apprehension.”

  “That’s right, you’re telepathic.”

  “We can sense emotions,” explained Thresha. “Reading minds takes more effort and requires cooperation from both participants.”

  David was glad to hear that. The thought of his mind being read wasn’t appealing. “I guess I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to life on this ship. I’m not sure how to talk to the other aliens on board.”

  “Many of the new human crew members are having similar difficulties,” said Thresha.

  “Really? It seems they’re all handling it fine,” said David. “I thought I was the only one struggling.”

  “You have spent your entire life among your own people,” explained Thresha. “It will take time to adjust living with various species. My people went through a similar process when we came on board. If you like, I can assist you with the transition.”

  “I’d like that,” said David. He felt comfortable with Thresha, and welcomed any help she could give him with his insecurities.

  By the end of the day, Julie had recalled all the teams back from the planet. None o
f them were able to locate any sign of the Io. Messages were sent to all the alliance worlds, including Earth, warning their military and governments about the Io and the threat they posed.

  John received a priority message from the TERRA command council letting him know that the alliance committee on Mars had come to a decision about the Screen. A statement would be released to the press to announce their decision. The captain invited his senior staff and several others to his apartment in Central to watch the announcement.

  Everyone showed up early, and all they could talk about was the impending announcement. Each individual had their own idea what the committee should do, and they all had an opinion on what should happen to the Screen.

  “I think each race should have a chance to slap the Screen upside the head,” joked Chris.

  “I’d say we take out their military, but we already did that,” added Bret.

  “I would like to poison their atmosphere like they did to my homeworld,” said Eria.

  “Whatever they decide, it’ll be too good for them after what they’ve done,” Franklin chimed in as X came around to offer the group some beverages.

  A chime sounded throughout the ship, indicating the transmission from Mars was coming in. The wall panel flickered and ELM News came on.

  “This is Robin Violet reporting live from Ruby Sector here in Crimson City. We just received a statement from the alliance committee announcing their decision regarding the Screen’s war crimes against the human and alliance races. In summation, the committee has verified that the Screen are a dying race; however, they have voted not to help them solve their population problem. They will effectively allow the Screen to go extinct. Until such time, the alliance races will coordinate with one another to maintain the occupation of the Screen star system and ensure they do not rebuild their military. Once the Screen are gone, the Cresorians will be given the option to occupy the planet.

  “We’re waiting for a response to the committee’s decision from both the president and TERRA…”