Those remarks jolted John. He never imagined that anyone would blame him for the ship’s actions that resulted in the Screen’s defeat. There were some Cresorians who blamed him for the destruction of their world.
“Buinox, I’m not going to debate the outcome regarding the Screen,” John replied. “I’m willing to meet with you to mediate this issue.” He saw Limex was about to protest but held his hand up to silence her. “But not until you remove those devices from the planet.”
“No! The devices will continue their course until you deliver us our people. We also intend to capture any vessel emerging from the planet until you comply.”
“Terminate transmission,” John ordered. He stepped back from the operations table and paced around in frustration. It was like talking to a brick wall. Nothing he said was swaying Buinox. “I need options, people. Is there any way we can take out those devices and save the planet?”
The command deck staff had each individually reviewed the available data to come up with something…anything, to disable the devices. But no one could come up with anything conclusive.
“No, sir,” Shelly replied.
“Nothing,” Jufo added.
Bret and Rudov shook their heads.
“I cannot give you anything conclusive,” Korifluxinina admitted.
John returned to the operations table. He leaned on it and looked at Limex. “Is there anything you know that could take those things out?”
“I have reviewed the scans,” Limex said. “Cresorian technology is fragmented and consists of technology from many races we have adapted to ours. I could not identify any means by which to disable them.”
That was that. Unless Buinox had a change of heart, the planet was doomed. John’s military training kicked in. He couldn’t get emotional about the Palmroids’ planet. He had to focus on getting the rest of the crew back to PHOENIX.
“Power up ruialon emitters,” John ordered. “I want Buinox to know we mean business.” Firing on the DUDOS wouldn’t do anything to stop the devices, but John felt he needed to take some sort of action. Despite the DUDOS showing up larger, that ship was still no match for the PHOENIX.
********
Julie boarded her shuttle. She was the last one from the planet, and the shuttle pilot wasted no time lifting off. Fifty-Three Palmroids were on the shuttle with them.
“Your smell is not good,” one Palmroid commented as the captain made her way to the copilot seat.
“Good to know,” Julie said as she took her seat. She checked the sensors. “Everyone’s heading towards PHOENIX. It looks like we’re the last one that’ll arrive.”
“I’ve got bad news,” the pilot said. “The DUDOS is on an intercept course with PHOENIX. We’re going to be in their weapons range as we emerge from the atmosphere.”
“Soon as we get into low orbit, I’ll put up the shields,” Julie said. Unfortunately, the shuttle had no offensive weapons to fight back if the DUDOS fired on them. From the looks of it, the DUDOS had hundreds of weapon emitters at their disposal. “Soon as you can, put engines on full. The sooner we get to PHOENIX, the sooner we’re safe.”
A small group of Palmroids flew up to the pilot area. “Are we in danger?” one asked.
“I hope not,” Julie replied.
“You are correct,” one Palmroid said to another. “Her odor is not pleasant.”
“I need you all to move back and let me and Mark get us back to the ship,” Julie ordered.
“She also has an unpleasant demeanor,” added another Palmroid as they flew to the back of the shuttle with the other crewmembers. “The other humans better not be like her.”
“We’ve cleared the atmosphere,” Mark reported. “Throttling engines to full. Captain, the DUDOS is on an intercept course with us.”
“PHOENIX to shuttle Omega,” came the voice of John. “The DUDOS is closing in on you.”
“We see them,” Julie confirmed. “Shields at maximum.” Suddenly, the shuttle rocked violently from several impacts. It took the pilot’s expert maneuvering skills to keep the shuttle from veering out of control while avoiding weapons fire.
Julie checked the readings. “I don’t believe it. They’ve fired on us!”
********
“Confirmed,” Shelly reported on the command deck. “The DUDOS has fired on Captain Olson’s shuttle.”
The action incensed John. As far as he was concerned, they had crossed the line. “PHOENIX to DUDOS, cease your attack, or we will open fire.” John assumed they wouldn’t listen and didn’t wait for a response. “Charge starburst and fire when ready.”
“Yes sir,” Shelly replied as she activated the starburst array.
John checked the sensors. The shuttle was being pummeled by the DUDOS. It wouldn’t be long before its shields collapsed.
“Starburst ready,” Shelly announced.
“Fire!” John ordered.
A bright yellow energy burst fired from PHOENIX at the DUDOS. The Cresorian ship broke its attack off the shuttle and attempted to evade the starburst without success. The blast penetrated its shields. Within moments, every one of its systems were offline.
“Direct hit,” Shelly reported. “DUDOS systems are offline. They’re adrift. Several ships on the exterior have unhooked from the DUDOS.”
“Do we need to rescue them?” Ben asked.
“The starburst is a temporary effect,” John explained. “They’ll regain power in about an hour.”
“Captain, the planet,” Jufo pointed out.
John and the command deck staff looked out the windows towards the planet and saw its purplish color change to a dark gray. “Status of the planet?” John asked, who already knew what the answer would be.
“The atmosphere is being eradicated,” Korifluxinina reported. “Once the effect is complete, it will no longer sustain any life.”
John realized how far Buinox was willing to go to achieve his mission. It seemed the DUDOS would pursue PHOENIX to the far reaches of the galaxy. Cresorians had adapted to living in space on small ships with few resources. PHOENIX could easily outrun them, but what about the Cresorians on board PHOENIX? They were all certain they would make the planet their home. Now the entire group would have to be told they were stuck on PHOENIX for the time being.
John looked at Limex. Although she wasn’t the enemy, he could help but look at her in disgust. He did everything he could to accommodate Limex and her group, and what did it get them? An entire planet destroyed. “I need to appraise your people about what’s happened.”
“Let me, captain,” Ben offered. “They’ll have an easier time with the news if it comes from Limex and me.”
John wasn’t about to argue with him. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with any Cresorian at the moment. The captain also had to deal with informing the Palmroids that their world has been destroyed. Who knows how they were going to react.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Several hours had passed since the planetary teams had returned to PHOENIX. The Palmroids were cleared from quarantine and were transferred from the hangar to medical for biometric profiling. They were very cooperative, not offering any resistance or questioning the crewmembers. Julie made sure to stay with them the entire time. They had accepted her as a trusted person, and she didn’t want to leave them until they were settled on the ship.
The DUDOS had long since regained power. The few ships that had undocked were reintegrated back into the mass. Buinox was making repeated demands and threats against the PHOENIX, whose shields remained up. Although Buinox threatened to open fire, the DUDOS hadn’t attacked. John figured they didn’t because they knew their weapons could never penetrate PHOENIX’s shields. They could add another hundred ships to the DUDOS, and it wouldn’t make a difference.
John made his way to medical to meet with the Palmroids. He hadn’t heard from either Ben or Limex about their meeting with the Cresorians. He hoped he wouldn’t hear from them until tomorrow. Today was one of those days where John wanted to cr
awl underneath the sheets in his bed and hide from the outside world.
As soon as he entered medical, he was greeted by Doctor Howl. She was the other chief medical officer on the ship along with Doctor Roth. As Amie was off-duty, Doctor Howl was running things.
“You’ll be happy to know we’ve uncovered no medical issues with the Palmroids,” Howl reported. “Their biology isn’t too unique. We’ve been able to identify the functions of most of their internal organs, and they seem to be adapting to the ship’s environment with no issues.”
John looked over Howl’s shoulder and saw Julie with a large group of Palmroids in the central surgical bay. “Thanks, doctor. Don’t keep them here any longer than needed. I’d like to get them situated in quarters and settled in.”
“Understood,” Howl acknowledged. “Security’s working with your admin on that.”
John nodded. He patted the doctor on the shoulder and made his way over to the surgical bay. Julie was busy talking with PHOENIX’s newest residents. She seemed a bit overwhelmed as she was being inundated with a barrage of questions.
“Welcome back, Julie,” John greeted as he stepped into the bay.
Julie had a grateful look on her face seeing him. “It’s good to be back. Everyone, this is Captain John Roberts, the ship commander of the PHOENIX.”
“You are the leader of this vessel,” one Palmroid said as it flew over to him.
“I am,” John replied. “And you are?”
Another Palmroid flew right up to John. “We are Noa and Yuto. We speak for our people.”
John remembered Julie saying the Palmroids indiscriminately elect individuals to speak for them. He was curious about what method they took to choose who to represent them. “I would like to welcome you to our ship. I’m sorry the circumstances by which we had to bring you.”
“Captain Julie Olson says our planet was destroyed,” Noa said. “How?”
John took a deep breath. “A Cresorian ship launched several devices that released a compound that destroyed the atmosphere.”
Yuto was confused. “I do not understand. You have Cresorians on this ship.”
“Yes, a ship from their world has been pursuing us,” John explained. “They’ve been tasked with taking the Cresorians on PHOENIX back to their homeworld, but they don’t want to go.”
“Why?” Noa asked.
“It’s too complex to get into,” John replied. “Suffice it to say I didn’t realize the extent the ship would go to complete their mission.”
“Because of your choice to harbor these Cresorians on your vessel, we lost our homeworld,” Noa pointed out.
It was if the Palmroid chose the right words to make John feel guilty. He didn’t know how to respond. He was at a loss for words. However, Yuto added something before the captain could speak.
“The crewmembers we have interacted with on the planet have shown only pure intentions towards us. We know you did not anticipate events would play out this way. We do not blame you for the loss of our world.”
“Thank you,” John said. “Believe me, if I had known what that ship was willing to do, I would have done everything to stop it.”
“You’re welcome to stay on PHOENIX until we find a new world for you,” Julie added.
“We are eager to explore this vessel,” Noa admitted. “Captain Julie Olson has stated 50,000 individuals can live here. Although we have no concept of what that means, from what we have seen this vessel appears quite large.”
“It is,” John confirmed. “There’s more than enough room for all of you.”
“If we find this vessel accommodating, could we stay here permanently?” Yuto asked.
John didn’t expect them to want to stay here, but he responded without any hesitation. “If you want to make a new home here, we’d be more than happy to have you remain. We’ll make your transition as easy as possible.”
“We accept your promise, Captain John Roberts,” Noa said. “How long until we are free to explore this vessel?”
“The medical staff won’t keep you here too much longer,” Julie replied. “And we have procedures to follow to get you into quarters.”
“Quarters?” Noa asked.
“Homes for you to stay in,” John clarified. He was wondering how they would figure out how to house them. Would one Palmroid be in quarters or would they want to be housed in groups? It was something he’d let the proper people figure out.
John motioned to Julie. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to Julie in private for a moment.”
Julie followed him out of the surgical bay. John made a sign to Doctor Howl that he was going to use her office.
“What’s going on with the DUDOS?” Julie asked once the office door slid closed.
“The last check they were still holding position,” John replied. “With our shields up, they aren’t a threat.”
“And the ones on board?” Julie asked.
“Ben and Limex are telling them what happened. I’m not expecting they’ll take the news well.”
“Is there any way to reverse what they did to the planet?” Julie hoped. “It sounds remarkably like what the Screen did to Flutori,” referring to the Senfo homeworld.
“We have a few Senfo scientists on board,” John explained. “They reviewed the data and said what the DUDOS used is irreversible.”
Julie was astonished what the DUDOS did. “I can’t believe they’re willing to go to extremes. They’re risking alienating themselves from the alliance.”
“It’s obvious they don’t care about the alliance,” John said. “They’ll do whatever it takes to complete their mission, regardless of the consequences.”
“What do we do?” Julie asked Julie.
John leaned on the doctor’s desk. “Regardless how our Cresorian guests react, they still don’t want to go back home. Our only option is to jump at maximum speed and put as much distance between us and the DUDOS.”
“I can check on Ben and Limex and see how they’re fairing with the Cresorians,” Julie offered.
“No, I’d like you to stay with the Palmroids. I want to be sure we have no issues with them. I’ll deal with the Cresorians.”
********
“How could this have happened?” Grovenix demanded. “You said the planet would be our home!”
Despite his loud tone, Ben knew he needed to remain calm to prevent the situation from getting out of hand. “It would have been. No one anticipated the DUDOS would take such drastic action. The scientists on board have scanned the planet, hoping they could reverse what was done, but it looks to be permanent.”
Grovenix pointed at Limex. “It is no secret that you would have been content staying here. How do we know you did not contact the DUDOS and inform them of our plans?”
Limex clenched her fists and took a step towards Grovenix. “You dare question my honor?”
“I question everything!” Grovenix shouted. “We are told how to behave, monitored like animals here, then promised a new home. Now that home has been snatched away from us. I say you are manipulating us into submission.”
“Absolutely not,” Ben insisted. “We’ve been nothing but honest with all of you. What happened is unfortunate, but there are other planets out there. We will find you a home.”
“What is to stop the DUDOS from following us and destroying any planet we find?” Orocix asked.
Ben didn’t have an immediate answer. “I’m sure Captain Roberts will address the DUDOS situation.”
“John Captain has failed us,” Wulex declared. “We are destined to be trapped on this ship for the remainder of our cycles.”
“I would rather die than submit to a life of depravity here,” Orocix added.
“Enough!” boomed the voice of Jumix. “What is done cannot be undone. They have told you what has occurred. You must accept it.”
“Return to your quarters,” Limex instructed. “Once we determine how to proceed next, we will inform you.”
The Cresorians looked at
one another. Ben could see they were unhappy. Hopefully, a little time was all that was needed for the news to settle in with them.
The Cresorians filed out of Limex’s quarters. Jumix remained behind. “Ben Attorney, I would have a moment alone with Limex.”
Ben looked to Limex, who nodded at him. “We will speak in the morning. Thank you for your assistance.”
“Call me if you need anything,” Ben offered. He took one last look at the pair before leaving.
“Orocix is correct,” Jumix started. “Buinox will not stop until he has all of us.”
“As long as we are on PHOENIX, we are safe,” Limex pointed out.
“Is that your solution? To remain here? You see our people are not happy. They want a place of their own. They don’t want to live with other aliens.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Limex asked. “We do not have many options.”
“We leave PHOENIX and live out in space on our own,” Jumix replied.
“The others would be equally unhappy returning to such a life,” Limex said. “All of us wanted the Screen defeated, so we no longer had to live alone and isolated on our ships. The Screen are gone. The aliens oppressed by them are enjoying newfound freedom. For us? We are faced with a life worse back home than under the Screen threat. Is your solution to go back into space? I cannot do that.”
“Then maybe we should return home to fight those in power,” Jumix suggested.
“We spent our lives trying to survive until the Screen were defeated. You want our reward to be returning home to fight our own kind?” Limex asked.
“Most would rather return home to fight than stay here or go back out into space.”
Limex couldn’t imagine any of them would want to return to living in space on their ships. “No, that cannot be.”
“Have you asked any of them what they want? You seem to be operating under your own agenda.”
Limex was incensed by his questions. “Do you think I am putting my own needs above everyone else?”
“You seemed so intent on making a life here,” Jumix pointed out. “I believe you have lost consideration of what the others want.”
Fractured Alliance Page 18