Fury Of The Phoenix (Exodus)

by Robert Stadnik

“So the Io did attack the cruiser,” said Tim.

  “It looks that way,” replied Julie.

  “Is there any evidence of an Io ship leaving the area?” asked John. Julie shook her head. “What about the shuttle we left behind?” Again, she shook her head no.

  “What of the freighter?” asked Jufo.

  “We could not pick up a residual signature of any ship leaving the area,” said Korifluxinina. “And there is no sign of the freighter.”

  “Bret, contact the Onixins and inform them of what we found,” requested John. “And also alert the Ni, Quix, and Senfo, as well as TERRA.”

  “What about the cruiser?” asked Thresha.

  “We’ll tow it back to the alliance station,” said John. “We’ll remain at battle alert for the time being. Dismissed. Julie and Thresha, please remain behind.”

  As soon as the others left, John spoke up. “We’re at a disadvantage not being able to track the Io. We don’t know what they’re planning or where they’re heading to.”

  “I have to think they’re trying to get back to their homeworld,” said Julie. “Our scientists concluded the planet we found them on was not their original home. It didn’t have any signs that an advanced civilization ever resided there, except for the cave they apparently lived in.”

  “None of the races we have encountered have ever indicated they have come across the Io anywhere else,” said Thresha.

  “There may be one way to get some answers,” said John. “Reactivating the Io module we have.”

  Julie was surprised John was the one to offer up that idea. She considered it, but chose not to recommend it, given John’s strong feelings about the Io. “You think that’s good idea?”

  “No, but I don’t see any other option. Everyone’s in danger with the Io out there, and we need to find out what’s motivating them. The module may have information about them that could help us.”

  “Reactivating the module will be difficult for you,” said Thresha.

  “Oh, I’m scared as hell,” said John. “But we need answers.”

  A few hours later, John arrived at medical, where a computer tech had just finished evaluating the activation device Drix initially put on it. After informing the captain the module was ready for reactivation, John was left alone in the science lab. The module sat in the middle of a table. John dreaded having to turn the thing back on. Memories of seeing Jeff’s head in the cave seemed fresh in his mind. If there was any other way, he’d take it.

  John took a deep breath and activated the module. He watched as the lights flickered on it and the module hummed to life.

  “Where am I?” John said nothing. “My sensors indicate I am in the medical section of the PHOENIX. I detect a single life sign in the room.”

  “It’s just you and I,” muttered John.

  “Hello, Captain Roberts. How goes your mission in finding the Screen?”

  “I’m here to talk about the Io, not the Screen,” replied John, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

  “I’m grateful to hear that,” said the module. “Does that mean you have reconsidered the gift the Io can give you?”

  “The Io left the planet we found them on,” explained John. “So far they’ve taken a group of humans and Onixins. I want to know where they’re going.”

  “Your tone indicates you’re not happy that they finally escaped the planet they were stranded on,” said the module.

  “Someone purposely marooned them on that planet? Who?” asked John.

  “I would be happy to discuss the circumstances that led them to the planet at another time. However, you must be willing to accept their gift of enlightenment.”

  “If you’re not going to tell me then I wasted my time,” said John as he prepared to shut the module off.

  “Wait! Although you’re not ready to hear the history of the Io, I will tell you where they’re going.”

  John was suspicious. “Why? Why would you help me?”

  “It serves no purpose keeping that information secret from you,” said the module. “And it’s not like you can stop them.”

  “Watch me,” countered John.

  “PHOENIX is an impressive starship, but even it can’t stop the Io,” said the module. “But you will eventually learn. Provide me a DAT and I will give you the coordinates of where the Io are heading.”

  “Command deck to Captain Roberts,” said Chief Davers over John’s pip.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Sir, we’re having some problems with the Cresorians. Several of them are demanding to speak with you.”

  “About what?”

  “Something about the newly formed Cresorian government ordering them back to their homeworld.”

  John wasn’t aware of any such decree. He knew that the Cresorians had formed a new government and relocated back to their homeworld, but nothing more.

  “I’ll be right there. Roberts out.” John looked at the module. “I’ll deal with you later.” Without waiting for it to reply, he switched it off and left. Unbeknownst to him, there was a nano listening device in the corner of the room underneath one of the computer stations. In her quarters, Betty had listened to everything John and the module had said. She was so happy hearing her loved one’s voice again. She had much to plan for. Soon she, her son and Jeffrey would be reunited.

  All sixty-three Cresorians were demanding to speak to John. To facilitate time he met with six of them in the board room. Apparently, their new government issued an order requiring all Cresorians to return to their homeworld to help rebuild and repopulate the planet. None of the Cresorians wanted to leave PHOENIX and requested asylum on the ship. John wasn’t inclined to force them off the ship, and assured them he would do what he could for them.

  After contacting some people in the tri-planetary government and TERRA, John was back in his office speaking with Admiral Vespia about the situation.

  “There’s a lot of information being thrown around,” said Vespia. “Our government hasn’t formally assigned a diplomatic team to the Cresorians, so it took some time to figure out who’s in charge. But I can confirm the Cresorian government has ordered all their people back to their world.”

  “How insistent are they about it?” John asked.

  “Very,” replied Vespia. “The newly elected leader of the Cresorians has made it clear that anyone who refuses the order will be forcibly returned.”

  “They can’t be serious,” commented John. “None of the Cresorians on PHOENIX want to leave, and I doubt sixty-three of them will have much of an impact on rebuilding their planet.”

  “Sounds like you’re defending them,” said Vespia. “I know you’ve been having some problems keeping them in line on the ship.”

  “I’ll admit they’ve been a handful for security at times, but that doesn’t mean I want to use it as an excuse to get rid of them. They want to stay on board and I’m not willing to put them off the ship unless they commit a serious infraction.”

  “What if I order you to remove them?” said Vespia.

  “Are you really going to do that?” John was ready to tell her no, but had to remind himself that he had to work with TERRA.

  Vespia smiled. “No, I’m not. The fact is we have no formal diplomatic agreement with the Cresorians. We haven’t even recognized their new government yet.”

  John smiled, knowing what the admiral was getting at. With no formal agreement, the Cresorian leadership couldn’t force TERRA to capitulate to their demands. “Thank you.”

  “That will buy you some time,” said Vespia, “But once we’ve normalized relations, and if they still insist on it, you may not have a choice in removing them from the PHOENIX.”

  John hoped that would be awhile. “You mentioned they elected a leader. Who is it?”

  “His name is Jevex,” replied Vespia.

  John didn’t recognize the name and quickly checked the ship’s database. He was part of the Cresorian fleet that helped defend the solar system from the Screen, but nothi
ng in the file indicated anything remarkable about him. John was curious how this individual managed to gain the Cresorian leadership.

  “Maybe I’ll call him.” John never had a chance to meet with many Cresorians as he was whisked away to Luna shortly after the fight.

  “I’m not opposed to that,” replied Vespia. “I’m sure he’ll grant an audience to you. I’d advised you to be careful in your dealings with him since we have little information about him. But you have the most experience with the Cresorians. You’ll know how to handle the situation.”

  “Thank you,” said John.

  Apparently, Vespia was wrong. John made repeated requests to speak with the Cresorian leader, but all he got was the same answer: the leader was too busy handling affairs to speak with John. All the captain could do was leave messages saying he was deferring to his government regarding the order for all Cresorians to return home. So much for him being highly regarded with everyone.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  “It took some doing,” said Vish to the assembled senior staff in the board room. “But I was able to translate the Io module’s numeric coordinates.” Over the board room table appeared a holographic image of an area of space. “The asteroid field is known by the Senfo as the Indrimox Collective.”

  “I’ll say,” remarked Julie. “It’s pretty close to the Senfo homeworld.”

  John had the module reactivated so it could provide the coordinates where the Io were heading. The module offered up the information with no demands. John still didn’t trust it, but this was the only lead they had at the moment and they had to pursue it.

  “The alliance station is reporting that three more merchant ships have gone missing,” reported Bret, news that John wasn’t happy to hear. “The alliance militaries are coordinating a search for them.”

  “We’ll need to contact the Senfo homeworld and warn them about the Io,” said John. “Jufo, I want a course set for the asteroid field at maximum speed.”

  “Yes, captain.” The Senfo hopped off his seat and left the board room.

  “I want the ship battle ready,” said John. “I want all fighter bots ready to launch at a moment’s notice. Shields are to go up and remain active.”

  “All the fighters are at standby,” Jacks informed John. “All offensive and defensive systems are ready to go to full power.”

  “Then let’s go,” said John.

  PHOENIX entered its jump, heading at full speed to the Indrimox Collective. The senior staff remained on the command deck during the trip. John couldn’t think of anything else but this mission. What would they encounter at the asteroid field.

  The ship’s scanners were on full override, scanning every surrounding sector for any sign of the Io. But nothing appeared on the sensors. The Senfo military contacted PHOENIX and stated they were on the lookout as well, but had found no sign of the Io.

  “Exiting jump,” announced Jufo.

  “Weapons at the standby,” ordered John.

  “Anything?” asked Julie.

  “We’re five thousand kilometers from the asteroid field,” said Tim. “Beginning scans of it and the surrounding area.”

  “Launch fifty fighter bots,” ordered John. Despite PHOENIX’s size and impressive firepower, he wasn’t about to take a chance being caught off-guard.

  The operations table beeped. “I’m picking up two foreign objects inside the asteroid field,” said Korifluxinina “Both are emitting Io energy signatures.”

  “Battle stations!” announced John. “What’re the specs of the objects?”

  “I cannot determine their composition,” reported Korifluxinina. “But one is attached to an asteroid. I would speculate it is a ground facility.”

  “Send all fighter bots in and have them destroy the facility,” ordered John.

  “John,” said Julie, wanting to point out he was jumping to assumptions, but he wasn’t about to listen to anyone.

  “Do it!” ordered John.

  Tim sent the orders and the bots swarmed into the asteroid field.

  “The larger object is moving away from the asteroid,” reported Korifluxinina. “But the stationary object is holding position on the asteroid.”

  “As soon as the bots are within range, have them open fire,” ordered John.

  “Orders sent,” said Tim. “But the field’s blocking transmissions. The bots will be on automation from here on out and I won’t be able to patch a visual feed from their cameras.”

  They all waited for a few moments. Then Korifluxinina spoke. “Sensors indicate the ground station has been destroyed.”

  “John Roberts,” said Jacks. “A large object is emerging from the field.”

  “Put it up,” ordered John. His heart jumped as the silver wedge-shaped object appeared over the table.

  “Based on trajectory and speed, it is a ship,” said Korifluxinina. “Energy output does conform to the Io.”

  “How big?” asked Julie.

  “The object nearly matches PHOENIX in size,” said Jacks.

  John never thought he would encounter another ship that was anywhere close to PHOENIX’s size. It took twenty years to build PHOENIX and a lot of resources.

  “Open a channel,” ordered John. Bret nodded to him that the line was open. “This is Captain Roberts of the PHOENIX. Power down your systems and surrender yourselves or we will open...”

  “PHOENIX starship,” came the sound of an electronic distorted voice. “Your request is declined. The Io have waited unhi decanester to escape the planet the Screen stranded us on. We intend to punish them for that act against us. Remove yourselves from our path or otherwise be destroyed.”

  John and Julie looked at each other. Yet another race that had suffered from the Screen. If John wasn’t already aware of what the Io were capable of, he might have felt sympathy for them.

  “I’m picking up increased power from the ship,” said Tim. “Looks like they’re powering weapons.”

  “Fire starburst,” ordered John. PHOENIX fired on the ship and struck it head on.

  “The target’s been hit,” announced Julie. “But I’m not showing any power fluctuations from it.” She looked at John. “The starburst was ineffective.”

  “They’re firing on us,” announced Tim.

  A blue beam fired from the Io ship and passed right through PHOENIX’s shields, striking the ship’s hull.

  Alarms went off on the command deck. “We have significant disruption to our energy network,” reported Jacks. “Systems are failing throughout the ship.” Lights began flickering on the computer stations and overhead lights.

  “Switch to auxiliary power,” instructed Julie.

  “Auxiliary power is offline,” reported Jacks. “Weapons and shields are offline.”

  John looked at the sensor display and saw the Io ship had launch a small craft towards PHOENIX. Before the display went out, John saw the craft attach to a specific area of the ship. Based on the location, he knew exactly what they were doing.

  “John!” Julie yelled as she watched him bolt from the pit and leave the command deck.

  “I will go after him,” said Thresha to Julie.

  Julie wanted to chase him down too, but she needed to stay at her post and coordinate getting the ship back into operation.

  “Can we launch our remaining bots?” she asked.

  “I am attempting to initiate launch sequence of the bots,” reported Jacks.

  “Do it,” she said. “We need to defend ourselves.”

  As soon as John reached deck forty-two, he ran out of the lift and down the empty corridor. Everyone was either in their quarters or in a designated shelter area.

  As he rounded the corner, he spotted Betty Christen holding her child, being escorted by two Io humanoids to the makeshift entrance they made from their boarding craft.

  John was scared seeing the Io. Despite his fear, he ran forward, only thinking about saving a crew member. “Betty! No!” She turned and looked at John with a committed glance. The ne
xt thing the captain remembered was an intense pain on the back of his head as he blacked out.

  As John crumbled to the floor, the Io who knocked him out from behind knelt down and attached a small device to the captain’s neck. After a few seconds, the Io removed the device and stood up. It joined its other two companions and boarded their ship, with Betty and her child in tow.

  As the Io craft detached from PHOENIX, Thresha arrived to find John on the ground. “Thresha to medical. I need a team to deck 42, section Delta 2B immediately.” She checked John’s pulse and was relieved to find he was still alive. She looked around but didn’t see anyone, and the only thing she sensed was worry and fear from the crew.

  “Engineering to command deck. The interstellar drive is destabilizing. It will have to be taken off line.”

  Julie didn’t want to hear that. Without the drive, they couldn’t make an escape from the Io vessel. “Any chance you can keep it running?”

  “If the drive is not shut down, we risk an overload,” replied Exquinidunadurana.

  “Status of main power?” asked Julie.

  “I am attempting to reinitialize main power, but the energy network may need to be shut down,” reported Jacks. “Auxiliary power has been restored, but only to forty-two percent.”

  “What’s the status of the Io ship?” she asked.

  “Trying to ascertain, but the sensors are fluctuating,” replied Tim. After fiddling with the sensors, he was able to get a quick reading. “Captain, the Io vessel is moving away from us. They’re going to faster than light travel.”

  Julie was relieved. At least they didn’t have to worry about being boarded and the crew having their heads chopped off. “Can you determine their destination?”

  “Sorry, sir, but sensors just went out,” said Tim.

  They needed to warn the alliance. “Bret, do we have communications?”

  “I can send off a single transmission, but it’s has to be a narrow beam.”

  That meant they could only send a warning to one area. But where? Where could the Io be going? Julie remembered, they said they were going to take revenge against the Screen. There was only one place they could go.

  “Bret, send a message to the occupation fleet at the Screen homeworld,” ordered Julie. “Alert them to prepare for the Io.”