“2132 hours,” the computer replied.
“You might as well put the food away,” John told X as he grabbed his glass of red wine and plopped himself on the couch.
“You have been preoccupied since coming home,” X observed. “Can this unit conclude it is regarding the Cresorians?”
“Yeah,” John muttered. “I feel like such a failure.”
“Please clarify. This unit does not understand what you could have done to alter their behavior on this ship.”
“Probably nothing,” John admitted. “It’s just that we worked so hard to defeat the Screen. I really believed the alliance races could move on from all the years they were oppressed. Each race, including ours, dealt with so much. It’s tough seeing the Cresorians implode.”
“You believed they would rebuild their world without impediment?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Your conclusion is based upon your interaction with the single Cresorian who lived on PHOENIX for three years,” X pointed out. “He is not representative of how his species would behave.”
John realized his house bot had a point. John blindly assumed the Cresorians would be likable and easy going like Drix. But they were no different than humans. They all had their personalities; some good, some bad. It was a tough concept to accept. Drix came on board PHOENIX and immediately adjusted to life here. Was he that different from the rest of his kind?
“I feel like I owed it to Drix to make a home for his people who want to be here,” John said. “I’ve let him down, but I can’t let those feelings get in the way of my duties. They’ve scared and injured enough people. The crew’s well-being comes first. I sound like a broken record saying that, but it’s true.”
“This unit concludes you must reconcile your obligation to your deceased friend to your duty as ship commander.”
“You’re right. It’s just going to take me a little time to get over it.”
John’s pip suddenly beeped. “Detention center to Captain Roberts.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m sorry to bother you, captain. One of the Cresorian’s has repeatedly asked to see you. She’s been quite insistent.”
John shook his head. “Let me get back to you. Roberts out.” John looked at his bot. “Seems like this situation won’t go away easily. One of the Cresorian’s wants to talk to me.”
“What will you do?”
“I’m not in a place to be objective about whatever she has to say. I’m still too angry. I need to send someone with more clarity than me, someone who I can give a purpose.”
********
Ben didn’t know why he agreed to this meeting. The situation with the Cresorians was a closed matter to the captain. Even if Roberts did have a change of heart, his hands were tied. Their government had agreed to hand the Cresorians over to their ruling government in the spirit of cooperation and to maintain diplomatic ties. But the captain was insistent Ben meet with them as his personal representative. Just a few hours ago John was vehement in his stance. Now it seemed he was willing to reconsider. What had changed? Whatever it was, the attorney couldn’t pass up an opportunity to influence the outcome. This was his chance to make a difference.
Ben rang the bell for the detention center, and the door opened. He went over to the center console station where the detention officer was sitting. “Ben Ravarius here at Captain Roberts request.”
“Yes, sir,” the officer said and pointed over to the cell at the end. “I relocated her to a cell by herself in the corner. You can talk in private.”
“What’s her name?” Ben asked.
“Limex.”
“Thank you.” Ben slowly made his way over to the cell, aware that every Cresorian was staring at him. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead from nerves. He was never asked to do something so important. A government diplomat should be handling this, not a run-of-the-mill lawyer. He hardly had the chance to mingle with any of the aliens on the ship. His experience dealing with aliens was pretty much non-existent. He wasn’t cut out for this, but whatever doubts he had he pushed out of his mind. He had a job to do, and he was going to do it.
Ben approached the cell and found the Cresorian was sitting on the bench. It appeared she was meditating, but he couldn’t be sure. “Hello.” Limex looked up at Ben. “I’m Ben Ravarius.”
Limex stood up and approached the cell bars. “I requested to speak with John Roberts Captain.”
“Captain Roberts has sent me as his representative,” Ben replied. “Whatever you wanted to say to him, you can say to me.”
“Unacceptable. I will only speak with him.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen. Whatever you tell me I’ll communicate to him, but he’s done talking with any of you. This is your last opportunity.”
Limex didn’t immediately respond. Her body language indicated she wasn’t receptive to this arrangement. After about a minute, Ben decided to give up.
“Have a good evening,” he said and started to walk away.
“Wait! Jopif for agreeing to see me. You cannot send us back.”
Ben returned to the cell. “The decision was made by my government. Even if the captain didn’t agree with them, he has to abide by their decision.”
“We have lived as nomads our entire lives,” Limex explained. “None of us want to go back to homeworld.”
“Your government has mandated all Cresorians must return rebuild your world.”
“We do not recognize that government’s authority over us,” Limex snapped angrily.
“Our government recognizes their authority,” Ben explained. “We’re part of an alliance and our leaders are trying to maintain it. Part of that means abiding by the wishes of all alliance governments.”
Limex realized she needed to approach this another way if there was any hope of staying on PHOENIX. “Would you be saying that if you knew of the atrocities that were occurring there?”
Her statement caught Ben off-guard. “What are you talking about?”
“The ruling body has resorted to abusing those who have returned home. Many are forced to work duwo to bring homeworld up to the standards of the other alliance worlds. Individuals have been sold as commodities and used as slaves. Even our young hatchlings are forced to work in dangerous conditions.”
This was all news to Ben. “I’ve never heard of any such allegations. The captain hasn’t mentioned any of this.”
“The current ruling body does not want the alliance to know what is going on,” Limex said. “Did you not find it strange that all non-Cresorians are not permitted on homeworld?”
“I’m not privy to military information,” Ben revealed.
“Then ask Roberts Captain. He would know.”
Ben shook his head. “For all I know, you could be making this up. You made it clear you want to stay on board. Even if what you say is true, that’s something that has to be brought up by my government through diplomatic channels.”
“If you access the computer on my ship, you will find all the proof you will need,” Limex offered. “Some on homeworld have risked their lives sending out covert transmissions documenting these abuses. Go and download the evidence from my ship, the FREUI.”
Ben hesitated to respond. It didn’t seem like she would lie about something like this; then again, it could be a last-ditch ploy to stay on board. “You should have come to the captain as soon as you found out.”
“We are a proud race,” Limex said. “We did not want outsiders knowing what we had become.”
This was far more than Ben expected. “You expect me to relay to the captain what you told me? He’ll think this is a last-ditch desperate effort for you to stay on PHOENIX. He won’t buy it.”
“If your captain is so intent on sending us back, we cannot stop you. All I ask is that you look at the evidence. You should know what you are sending us back to.”
Ben considered how to reply. He felt he was on a tightrope navigating a delicate situation. He never
expected something like this to come up. But he reminded himself he didn’t have to make any decision, merely relay what the Cresorian had told him.
“I’ll inform the captain of what you told me,” Ben promised. “Whatever he decides to do is up to him. It’s out of my hands.”
“So be it,” Limex agreed. Jopif.”
********
Late in the evening, Chief Davers arrived at Captain Roberts’s apartment with the data chip he retrieved from the FREUI. Ben remained at the captain’s place after conveying what Limex had told him.
As soon as he dismissed the chief, John wasted no time plugging the chip into the interface port of his wall monitor. What he and Ben saw made their stomachs churn. It was exactly what Limex had said…no, it was worse. Much worse. The images they watched would haunt the two men for years. For a race to treat their very own in such a despicable manner was inconceivable. Adults and young children beaten and berated and forced to work in deplorable conditions. Most were beaten long after they passed out from exhaustion. It was disturbing to see how a race could treat their own kind in such a reprehensible manner. This was behavior John expected from the Screen, not Cresorians.
Long after the wall monitor went blank, the captain continued standing there. He needed time to process what he saw.
“Captain?” Ben asked, anxious to see what John’s reaction would be.
“X, are you here?” John asked.
“Affirmative,” the bot replied.
“Pour me a glass of cab. And get one for Mr. Ravarius too.”
“I don’t drink,” Ben said.
“You do today,” John said as he pulled the data chip from the wall.
As X went to fetch the wine, Ben kept his eyes on the captain. “What are you going to do?”
John wanted to reply that he didn’t know, but he was already formulating a plan. He held a finger up to Ben to wait. It wasn’t until X returned from the kitchen and handed each of them a filled wine glass that he spoke.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with Limex. You didn’t have to, especially the way I treated you earlier. Regarding that, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I was surprised when you reached out to me,” Ben admitted. “Now that you heard what she had to say, what are you going to do?”
John took a seat on the couch and took a sip of his wine. “You know the story of how I came to command PHOENIX?”
“Sure, it’s common knowledge. You and Captain Olson were recruited as cadets to command the ship to look for the Screen because no one in TERRA was willing to do so.”
John chuckled. “It amazes me that history can reduce complex situations into simple footnotes. That’s generally correct. Admiral Johnson recruited me because of my history of thumbing my nose at authority. It served me well at the Academy, but I sabotaged my career prospects. I had blown any chance of serving on a capital ship. That made me the ideal candidate to recruit into the EXODUS Project.”
“And Captain Olson?”
John laughed. “That’s a different story. Let’s just say Julie got here on her own merits. The bottom line is I was selected for the Screen mission because I was willing to buck authority and do what was needed to achieve the objective.”
Ben wasn’t sure where John was going with this. “It’s a great story, captain. What does it have to do with the Cresorians?”
“I agreed with the government’s decision because of my concern for the crew’s welfare. But I can’t take the easy way out after seeing what was on the data chip. Sending the Cresorians back to a place that’ll subject them to such atrocious conditions…I won’t do it. I may be an officer of TERRA, but I have a moral obligation to them.”
Ben was grateful to hear the captain wouldn’t send them back to their world. “If you won’t send them back, are you going to just let them leave the ship? Let them take off into deep space?”
“Despite the difficulties they’ve had integrating into society here, I don’t think they want to go back to roaming space alone. They want a place to call home. Whether it’s a planet or this ship…”
“Captain, maybe there’s some legal remedy we can explore…” Ben suggested, but John held his hand up.
“You don’t know me very well. Trust me when I say I have this covered. You need to put that wine glass down and walk out of here.”
That was an odd bit of instruction. Ben wasn’t sure what to do. From what he heard, Captain Roberts was straightforward and blunt. “Captain…”
“I’m not kidding, Mr. Ravarius,” John insisted. “No matter how things play out, I need to take full responsibility for it. I won’t let anyone else become collateral damage.”
Ben realized the captain was serious. He had obviously come up with a plan to help the Cresorians. If he wanted no one else involved, then it probably meant he’d be breaking a few rules.
The attorney set his wine glass down on the coffee table. “Good night, captain. If you need me for anything, please call.”
John didn’t reply. He merely nodded to Ben.
When Ben left the apartment, X rolled up to its owner. “Will you reveal what your intentions are with me?”
“Still not sure,” John replied. He looked at his bot and smiled. “I need some time alone.”
“Very well.” X went to the bedroom and closed the door.
“Lights out,” John said. He sat in the living room in darkness, only the lights from Central coming through the window provided any illumination. If he wasn’t going to send the Cresorians back, that meant only one thing: he was going to have to defy orders. Just when he thought those days were behind him, John found himself about to repeat his old habits and go against TERRA. Well, commanding this ship was fun while it lasted.
CHAPTER SIX
0100 hours.
Mitchell had a late night in engineering. He made sure not to make too much noise entering his quarters so as not to disturb his sleeping wife. As he went to grab the dinner Julie had left for him in the fridge, he checked his personal inbox. He was surprised to find a message from Captain Roberts.
0500 hours.
Julie got up at her usual time to start her day. In a few hours, the Cresorian vessel would arrive to take the Cresorians on PHOENIX back to their homeworld. It would be a sad day for her. Even though they had been a constant disruption on the ship, their presence provided a reminder of Drix for her. Losing them felt like losing him all over again.
She went over the rendezvous details on her DAT. The ship would dock in front of the hangar bay. The Cresorians would be escorted back to their ships by security. Then the ship would tow the smaller Cresorian vessels out of the hangar via an energy tractor beam. Simple and straightforward.
After adjusting her uniform, Julie stepped out of the bedroom where she was immediately swept into the arms of her husband. He planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Her spirits were immediately lifted, her sadness erased.
“Surprise!” Mitchell smiled.
“I’ll say,” Julie said as she wrapped her arms around him. “You just made my day much better.”
“There’s more,” Mitchell revealed. “I’m treating you to a surprise candlelight breakfast in the board room. 0800 hours.”
“I can’t,” Julie replied in disappointment. “The Cresorian ship is arriving around that time.”
Mitchell shook his head. “The captain says it’s going to be routine, nothing that requires your presence. He put the bug in my ear about treating you like a queen. He’s set the board room aside for us exclusively.”
That was overly generous of John to do. Julie was certain he would want her on the command deck when the Cresorians were off-loaded, if for nothing else to provide emotional support. Then again, John was going to be relieved when they were off the ship. Julie was just overthinking things. John would be fine. “Who am I to turn down a breakfast date with my husband,” as Julie kissed Mitchell.
0758 hours
John stepped onto the command deck. He proceeded dow
n into the pit and over to the operations table. “Report.”
“All systems report normal,” Shelly replied.
“We received a transmission from the Cresorian vessel DUDOS,” Bret added. “They should be here in about four minutes.”
John nodded. “Very good.” He looked around the command deck as he tapped his fingers on the operations table. “Jufo, I’d like to take control of navigation during our rendezvous with them.”
The Senfo, along with the rest of the command deck staff, was surprised by the captain’s statement. “Captain, I did not realize you had an interest in such things.”
“A good captain tries to keep as many of their skills honed as possible,” John said as he approached the navigation station. “This simple rendezvous shouldn’t be much of a challenge.”
Jufo looked around and saw the nervous looks on everyone, which only added to his apprehension. “Jalot, but your piloting skills are quite renowned.”
John chuckled. “I’m the first to admit I can fly a fighter as well as a brick hurtling through the sky. I think I’ll do okay maneuvering PHOENIX on thrusters.”
The captain seemed confident, which put the navigation officer at ease. Jufo reluctantly gave up his station to the captain. “I will remain by your side to provide any guidance if you need it.” He brought over another chair and stood on it next to the captain.
John jumped in main navigation seat. “Much appreciated.”
“Cresorian ship has emerged from their jump and is on approach,” Tim Richardson announced from the operations table. “Whoa! That thing is huge!”
John checked the readings on the DUDOS from the navigation station. He was surprised by how big it was. It was close to the size of PHOENIX. When he heard a freighter was coming, John just assumed it was a ship only big enough to hold maybe a hundred people.
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