The area was dimly lit, pipes running overhead and on the sides in a complicated network. As Jeremy’s eyes adjusted to the low light level, he could make out a couple of figures in the distance. He slowly made his way down, keeping quiet. It wasn’t until he recognized the three individuals did he speak up.
“Larry?” Jeremy was surprised to see his good friend here. Larry didn’t argue with Jeremy’s opinion about the captain, but he wasn’t vocal about being unhappy with him either.
“Hey, Jeremy. I guess you got the same message.”
“A person with a distorted voice and no image?” Larry nodded. Jeremy looked at the other two men. One he didn’t recognize, the other he did. “Carl, isn’t it? You’re a maintenance tech?”
The man nodded. Jeremy looked at the other man, who introduced himself.
“Name’s Abbot,” said the man in a British accent. “I’m one of the ship’s geologists.” Now Jeremy understood why they never crossed paths. Scientists tended to hang around their own types, like the miners and maintenance technicians.
“Since we’re all here, I assume you each have a problem with how the captain’s running things,” said Carl.
“I’m not sure if I’m completely against everything he’s done,” said Larry.
“But you’re not behind him,” said Jeremy. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
“No offense, Jeremy, but it’s going to take more than you to convince me the captain’s a threat.”
“Then perhaps my words will convince you,” said the familiar distorted electronic voice. The trio turned to see a shadowy figure in the distance. None of them could make out a single feature. Jeremy was knowledgeable of some security tech and knew their host was wearing a camouflage device that was distorting the light around him, or her. Larry took a step forward but was quickly rebuffed. “I’m afraid I have to insist you remain where you’re at. “Given my position, I cannot risk revealing who I am at this time.”
“And you think it fair you know who we are?” said Abbot.
“I invited you here because you have not been silent in questioning the captain. If you were concerned about your identity, you shouldn’t have been so vocal in your dissatisfaction.”
Abbot remained silent, unable to come up with a proper response. Jeremy was impressed, their host was able to put the egghead in his place.
They all heard the maintenance door open behind them. “It’s quite alright,” said the host. “Our final guest is arriving.”
“Professor Donavin?” said Carl as the professor approached them.
“Welcome professor. I wasn’t sure you would come.”
“I wasn’t planning on it. My issues with the captain are between us,” said Donavin. “But after what’s happened these past few months I’m convinced that command of this vessel is too much for Roberts to handle. He’s young, inexperienced, and immature. I’ve worked too hard on the EXODUS Project to let him destroy my ship.”
“We all hold the well-being of this crew above anything else,” said the host. “If Captain Roberts is allowed to continue to command the PHONEIX, he will locate and bring other aliens on board. Eventually, humans will be outnumbered.”
“So how do we get rid of him?” asked Jeremy.
“It will take time,” said the host. “We need to first build our ranks, get more people on our side. As long as the captain keeps making mistakes, he’ll turn more people against him. When the time is right, we’ll remove him from command. But our actions have to be done in such a manner as to not draw attention to us.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The TERRA command council was gathered in their meeting chamber on Luna. Since the departure of the PHOENIX, they met weekly and Donalds required the presence of all command members. He was too concerned with security to allow any of them to call in over the communications network.
“Preparations for next month’s commencement are proceeding,” said Admiral Jensen. “Superintendent Mortino contacted me this morning to report he just received the commencement address from this year’s valedictorian.”
“Any problems with the speech?” asked Donalds.
“Cadet Il Jong made a couple of references about the PHOENIX,” said Jensen. “Mortino is removing them from the speech and will have a talk with the cadet.”
Very good,” said Donalds. “And our stolen ship is the EXODUS, not PHOENIX.”
“Excuse me?”
“EXODUS is a piece of TERRA property stolen from us,” said Donalds. Although some months had passed since the ship left, the admiral’s anger about the event had not died. “Cadet Roberts has no authority to change its designation and we will not acknowledge his actions. The ship is still officially the EXODUS.”
“Not when you hear the public speak,” said Vespia. “They’ve become quite enamored with the ship and crew.”
Donalds knew she was trying to aggravate him. “May I suggest the head of security redouble her efforts in finding out how the EXODUS is getting transmissions to Earth and stopping them. I would hate to see a young upstart at the Mars communications center achieve that before you.”
Vespia smiled. “I’m not too worried about that. You see Jeremy, you underestimate John Roberts. You’re quick to discount him as stupid because of his insubordination, rather than treat him as the genius he is. I’m not concerned that someone outside security will figure out the ways in which EXODUS is sending messages. It will take time, but I will discover how it’s being done.”
“Careful Karla,” said Donalds. “One could easily take your statement as admiration for a traitor.”
The snipping between the two had increased since the PHOENIX left. Some thought that Vespia was using the situation to improve her position to take over as head of TERRA. Others thought that Donalds was simply lashing out at everyone, but Vespia wasn’t one to sit by and take his verbal attacks.
“Your bickering isn’t accomplishing anything,” spoke up Admiral Block. “Can we finish our business?”
“What else is on the agenda?” said Donalds, turning away from Vespia.
“Congress approved the ship construction bill passed by House Parliament last month,” said Jensen. “President Butu signed the bill this morning, which authorizes us to construct five new capital ships and an orbital battle station around Earth. As soon as you sign the order we can have our teams begin schematic designs.”
“We will not be building any new ships,” said Donalds. His statement took everyone off-guard, even Vespia.
“The president gives us free rein to build up the fleet and you’re saying no?” said Block. “This would improve our chances of survival if the Screen attacks.”
“The Screen will not invade the solar system,” said Donalds, sounding confident in his statement. “If they were going to retaliate for the EXODUS’ escape, they would have done so by now.”
“Are you sure?” asked Admiral Coro. “Are you willing to risk the lives of billions on an assumption?”
“Our role in the military is to protect the civilian population,” said Donalds. “We will continue to operate on what we know of the Screen. I will not let fear or speculation guide us. The Screen have kept us within the inner solar system for decades. Even with the departure of the EXODUS, they have not changed their operations regarding us. If they are willing to leave us alone, I don’t think it’s wise to aggravate them by adding additional warships to the fleet.”
“If we can expand the fleet it would address our surplus of officers,” said Jensen. “We could even postpone the reservist program for several years.”
“Placating the Screen isn’t the reason why you don’t want to construct new ships,” said Vespia. She knew Donalds too well. His whole life revolved around TERRA and he wouldn’t pass up the chance to build up the fleet. She knew he had an ulterior motive.
“My sources tell me the president is concerned that the EXODUS’ departure may have a negative effect on the economy,” said Donalds.
�
�How’s that possible?” asked Block.
“It’s not important,” said Donalds. “But the president is being a good politician and covering her bases. She hopes the construction of an orbital platform and more capital ships will keep the economy in good shape. She had a meeting with the House Parliament speaker, and six days later the speaker introduces legislation to increase TERRA’s fleet.”
“Makes sense,” said Jensen. “Speaker Onoko is a member of the Progressive Democrats, the same political party as the president. He probably introduced the bill as a favor to her.”
“Butu knows the state of the economy has a huge influence on a president’s popularity,” said Vespia. “She gets us to build more ships and it’ll shore up any negative impact the end of the EXODUS Project might have on the economy.”
“The president’s not our ally,” said Donalds. “She’s not giving us the chance to expand the fleet because she wants to, but because she thinks she has to. We can use this to our advantage.”
“How will we explain ourselves when the president realizes we’re not building any ships?” said Coro.
“I have a few ideas that should keep the government out of our hair,” said Donalds.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
John was sitting on the couch in the living room of his quarters, a place he had been spending a lot of time since he detonated the nuclear bomb.
“Computer, begin personal log. Notate the date and time on file.”
“Log open,” said the computer.
John sighed heavily before starting. “It’s been five months since we left Earth. I should be happy at what we’ve accomplished. We made contact with two alien races and significantly expanded our knowledge of the universe. But, despite that, I’m not feeling that there’s much to celebrate.
“Since leaving home we’ve only had one encounter with the Screen. I was expecting to find them everywhere. They appeared every time a ship tried to leave the solar system, so I naturally assumed they’d be conducting routine patrols near the solar system to keep an eye on us. But with only one encounter in five months and a missed opportunity at the Aldarian star system, it appears the Screen may be more elusive than I thought. I’ll need to refocus the crew on locating them. We’re spending too much time conducting scientific surveys. We need to be working on locating our enemy.
“I wish the Screen was the only thing weighing on me. The discovery of a hidden deck on PHOENIX greatly disturbs me. I won’t go into details about what was down there, but suffice it to say, Admiral Johnson was not up front with Commander Olson or me. It also appears he wasn’t forthright with the crew either, as no one seemed aware of this hidden deck. I’m hoping this was a one-time issue, but I can’t help but worry what other secrets might be on board this ship.”
John got up and looked out the window at the stars streaking by the ship. “Computer, end log and file in captain’s folder. No, scratch that. Include log with data block scheduled for transmission to Earth.”
“Acknowledged,” said the computer.
John decided to take a walk. He had spent too much time cooped up in his quarters, but he still wanted to be alone. He grabbed his DAT and headed out. As he left his quarters he almost ran right into a woman walking by the door.
“Oh, jeez! Sorry!” said John.
“It’s ok,” said the woman. She dropped some flowers and quickly picked them up. As she did she looked up. “Oh, captain, I didn’t realize…”
“It’s ok, it was my fault,” said John, helping her back up. “I was in a rush and wasn’t paying attention, Ms…?”
“Elizabeth Montablo. I’m one of the botanists.”
“Oh, Professor Montablo…”
“I’m not a professor, or a doctor,” said Elizabeth. “I’m Doctor Geal’s research assistant. Well, I used to be. Three years in the EXODUS Project has qualified me to do my own research.”
Botany? An idea popped in John’s head. “Ms. Montablo, is the botanical gardens a good place to go to get away?”
The woman’s eyes lit up. “Absolutely, captain! You can get lost there if you wanted. No one would be able to find you. Well, I guess someone could still be located through their pip…”
“That sounds perfect, thank you.”
The woman blushed. “I’m happy to have helped. By the way, I think you’ve been doing a great job commanding the ship.”
The botanist scurried off before John had a chance to reply. Her vote of confidence did little to lift the dark cloud hanging over his head. Perhaps some time in a new part of the ship would lift his spirits.
The botanical gardens comprised all of deck seventy-four, sitting one level above the farm deck. With guidance from the ship’s computer, John made his way down there. What he saw took his breath away.
It was as if he was back on Earth. Luscious grass covered the landscape, accentuated by a variety of trees and flowers. A water stream ran from both ends of the deck and met at a large pond at the center. The only indication this paradise wasn’t on a planet were the windows that ran the around the entire deck. It was a strange match, earthly plants set in the backdrop of cold space, but it was one John found soothing.
Several benches were situated near the pond. As John took a seat he noticed a colony of koi fish swimming in the water. The location was beautiful and John wished he had come to the gardens sooner. This is what he needed to start feeling better.
The young captain spent over an hour reading a fantasy novel on his DAT. Reading about magicians, dragons, and trolls gave him the perfect escape from the problems of commanding a starship. When he got tired of reading, he went back to watching the fish. The mixture of colors on their scales was hypnotic, and John lost all sense of time as he day-dreamed.
“You look like you’re a million miles away.” John turned to see Alex’sis behind him. “The computer told me you were here.”
“Is everything ok?”
“Ship operations are fine.” She took a seat on the bench. “I’m not bothering you, am I?”
“No, I just needed some time to think.”
Alex’sis picked up the depression in his voice. “This is my favorite getaway when I need time for myself.” She took out a bag of watermelon pieces and tossed some in the pond. They watched as the koi quickly swam over to grab their share of the food. “Admiral Johnson brought me here when I first toured the PHOENIX. I come here to get away from the stress of work.” She pointed to one of the fish. “See the one on the far left?”
“The one with the black specks?”
Alex’sis nodded. “Her name is Niko. She’s one hundred and forty two years old.”
“I didn’t know fish lived that long,” John said in a surprised tone.
“Koi can live well over two hundred years.” They watched the fish eat until there was nothing left and they dispersed. “We haven’t talked since we detonated the bomb.”
“You mean since I detonated it,” said John. “And you’re the last person to try and make me feel better. As I recall, you were in favor of keeping it.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” said Alex’sis. “You made a choice that you felt would best serve the ship.”
If only she knew the petty reason behind his decision to get rid of the bomb. She wouldn’t be so sympathetic towards him if she knew he let his personal feeling dictate his choice.
“I can’t help but think it’s not just the bomb that’s bothering you,” said Alex’sis.
“It’s a culmination of several things,” said John. “We’ve only had a single encounter with the Screen since leaving the solar system. I would have expected to run into them more often.”
“What did you expect?”
“I always assumed, because the Screen seemed to keep constant surveillance on us, that they would be a heavy presence in this region of space.”
“A logical assumption.”
“Instead, we’ve only encountered them once. I wasn’t expecting to complete our mission so soon, but I th
ought by now we would have a lot more information about them.”
“How do you know they’re not avoiding us?” asked Alex’sis.
“What do you mean?”
“The Screen have been very good about keeping us contained while, at the same time, revealing nothing of who they are or what they want with humanity. To me, it would make sense for them to avoid us, to prevent us from learning anything about them. Now that they know there’s a ship out here that can fight them, they may be trying to hide from us.”
There was wisdom in her words and it made John feel better. Here he was blaming himself for their lack of encounters. Maybe the Screen were trying to avoid the PHOENIX, to keep them out here indefinitely.
“Thank you, lieutenant, for providing a new perspective on the situation.”
Alex’sis smiled, something she rarely did. “Can I be frank with you, sir?”
“Sure, why the hell not.”
“You tend to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You’re good at thinking through many possibilities, but even you can’t anticipate everything. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to bounce things off of other people.”
“Point taken,” said John. “I’ll try and work on that.”
The two remained on the bench for a long time, chatting about insignificant things as they watched the koi swimming in the pond. They left the gardens together and parted on the lift, when Alex’sis stepped off on the deck her quarters were located.
John exited the lift one level above and headed towards his quarters. As he walked through the corridor, he saw a figure in the distance. The individual was covered from head to toe in white robes and John immediately knew it was the Yearden. But what was he doing walking the ship by himself? As far as John knew, the Yearden spent all his time in his quarters, being looked after by his attendants.
“Are you ok?” John asked as he approached the Yearden. The elder Aldarian slowly reached his hand to John. The wrinkled hand shook, revealing his advanced age.
Phoenix Among The Stars (Exodus) Page 19
