The Phoenix Conspiracy

by Richard L. Sanders

  She wasn't going to let Calvin charm her. If anything, she'd be even harder on him. Because Calvin knew he was attractive. And he let it, and everything else, get to his head. He was a spoiled young boy who'd been given everything on a silver platter, including this ship, his medals, and his good looks.

  No, no, no. She would stop thinking about him. Calvin was three years younger than her. A child. And she wasn't going to let a child manipulate her, or take advantage of her, or use her. Not after Asari Raidan's betrayal. Oh no, Summers would never allow a CO to keep her in the dark again. If only she'd been more vigilant, maybe she could have prevented the whole disaster. But she'd let her feelings cloud her better judgment, and now she bore the penalty... a guilty conscience... because she hadn't recognized Raidan for the snake he’d turned out to be.

  And maybe that's what bothered her most about Calvin—he was too similar to Raidan. Both began their careers as young prodigies, shooting up the ranks with medals and awards heaped upon them. Neither were willing to compromise, and they both had egos the size of planets.

  But they had their differences too. Raidan was older and more seasoned than Calvin, and more clever. He'd managed to keep his thoughts and plans far enough below the radar that even Summers had been completely blindsided by his betrayal. Calvin, however, seemed impulsive and not very subtle. He was like a younger stupider version of Raidan. But enough like him to make Summers feel on her guard whenever he was around. Like his blue irises could cut through her armor and read her thoughts. He was smart. But, she reminded herself, she was smarter. And despite having to work alongside this Calvin Cross, she would find Raidan and see that he got what he deserved. She was the swift merciless sword of justice.

  The elevator door slid open and Calvin came onto the bridge. He didn't even have regulation attire on, for goodness sake! Instead of his uniform he wore a T-shirt and jeans, and looked disheveled, having made no effort to clean up his appearance since last she'd seen him. And he looked distracted. Whatever the message had been, it'd shaken him up quite a bit. She wished she'd heard it, and wanted to find out what it was. In a way, she considered it her duty to find out.

  When Calvin reached her, she gave up the command position but he didn't sit there. Instead, he called out to the helmsman. A woman about Calvin's same age whose cropped uniform and relaxed posture implied she was as irresponsible as the rest.

  "Sarah," said Calvin. "Change course, new heading Tau System. Deepest safe jump."

  The crew was surprised but they complied without question. "Sure thing, Cal," the helmsman said as she plotted the new course. It was like fingernails scraping slate to hear such casual chatter on the bridge.

  "Lieutenant Commander," said Summers, both liking and hating the fact she outranked him. "That's off mission."

  "I realize that, Commander. But thanks for pointing it out," Calvin walked toward his office, dismissively.

  "Sir, with all due respect," said Summers. "You owe us an explanation."

  "No I don't, I'm the captain."

  How dare he dismiss her like she was just some trophy 'officer' and not the XO! "We need to be hunting down Raidan. If this trip is on mission then I need to know your latest Intel, and you need to make a report. But if it's off mission then it violates statute 36-C. Which more or less states, nothing trumps the assigned mission."

  "Almost nothing."

  "Is this a life-or-death emergency?"

  "Maybe," Calvin shrugged. "I really don't know."

  "What do you mean you don't know? Breaking mission like this is a serious offense."

  "Can't you put the rulebook away for two minutes, Summers?" Miles spoke up.

  "Stay out of this, Second Lieutenant," she snapped at the defense officer. It was bad enough from the CO, but she definitely wouldn't take sass from him.

  Miles muttered something under his breath that sounded like a pejorative. Very disrespectful. Calvin really didn't know how to keep his crew on a leash.

  "Lieutenant Commander," said Summers. "We can't afford to give Raidan any more of a head start than he already has." She wasn't about to let Raidan slip through her fingers because Calvin wanted to make a tourist stop in the Tau System. And if he had a good reason to go there, some kind of new Intel—which he probably did—she wasn't about to be left in the dark. Not again. Never again.

  "Summers, Raidan is long gone from Aleator anyway. We'll go there and search for clues, hoping we get lucky. But by now it makes almost no difference when we get there." He shrugged and reached his office, pausing to turn around and address the helmsman.

  "Let me know the minute we arrive at the station." Even though his words were directed at Sarah, his eyes were locked with Summers’. "And, Sarah, don't let anything less than rockets from an enemy warship slow us down or change our course.” He smiled cautiously. "And from now on, all flight paths must be approved by me. Standing orders."

  "Understood," the helmsman said. Calvin nodded and disappeared into his office.

  Summers stored this away in her mind, adding it to the running tally of things she would include in her first report. Admiral Harkov would not be pleased.

  Chapter 8

  Calvin stepped through the jetway and into Terminal B of the Tau outpost. He staved off thoughts of breaking free and blowing into space but he didn't feel safe again until his feet were firmly on the spaceport's ground and the airlock had sealed behind him.

  "Welcome aboard, sir," a worker said and two guards saluted. Calvin wasn't in uniform but they knew a military ship had docked.

  "Thank you," Calvin saluted back. "Eric," he read the name on the worker's lapel. "What is the fastest way to the main concourse?"

  "It's all around you, but most everything is down that corridor and to the right," he pointed. "Can't miss the big room."

  "Thanks," Calvin started walking away but turned back for a second. "Say, have you had any VIP's on the station in the last day or two?"

  "Well there's the command staff and some execs from a few corporations. But nothing too special. Why, should we be expecting someone?"

  "No," he paused. "I was just wondering what kind of traffic you get out here in the Hyperion Cluster." With a polite nod, Calvin walked away not surprised the princess had kept her presence a secret. But again wondered Why?

  The security checkpoint was much simpler than most starports. A mining colony this far out of the way didn't see much traffic and rarely saw anyone outside of routine visits from commercial freighters and the occasional transport. The officers on duty were chatty and curious. Calvin made up a story about how he was there on pleasure instead of business, and how he was "in the neighborhood" and mostly wanted to get a look at the place since his nephew was planning to move there for a business venture. A lame story that could be easily falsified, but it was the best he could invent on the spot. And the officers seemed to believe it. Had he worn his black-and-silver uniform they would’ve certainly had more questions.

  The station's main corridor was narrower than most and it felt more like a starship than an outpost. When he reached the plaza, which had maybe a dozen people in it, he took a seat in the center and waited, thinking that was all he could do. He'd give it about ten minutes and if the princess didn't contact him, he'd leave. Sitting around and waiting to be surprised made him feel vulnerable. Especially since he was exposed to the whole room.

  Not more than two minutes later, he felt something metal press against his back and a gravelly voice whisper, "Stand up and don't make any sudden movements."

  "Okay..,” said Calvin, feeling his heart quicken. He rose slowly.

  "And don't say anything," the stranger said. "Just walk down the corridor to your left and turn right at the first door. It will be locked. Knock four times. You will be asked to give a password, the password is your name."

  "The phrase 'your name', or my actual name?"

  The pressure against his back disappeared. Calvin whirled to face the perpetrator but no one was there, and no one
could be seen running away. The plaza looked normal and no one was within fifty feet of him. But a fresh scuff on the polished floor proved someone had been there.

  OK... down the corridor and to the right. He cautiously made his way, checking only briefly to see if anyone was watching him. A few people looked his way but they seemed disinterested. Most people in the plaza were engaged in conversation, going somewhere, or otherwise occupied. And none seemed to have reacted to the mysterious person who'd spoken with Calvin a moment before. Or, if they had noticed, they didn't show any sign of interest.

  Once he got to the door, he rapped on it four times and waited.

  A panel slid aside. "What do you want?"

  Calvin wondered if that was some cryptic way of asking for a password. He decided it wouldn't hurt to try. "Calvin Cross."

  "You want Calvin Cross."

  "Well who doesn't?” he asked. Not sure what to do next.

  The door slid open and he was hustled inside. He resisted, out of instinct, but at least two pairs of arms grabbed his biceps and pulled him in. He caught his balance just as the door shut behind him. They patted him down for weapons then let go and the lights snapped on, forcing him to squint.

  "Sorry to put you through all of this, Calvin," Princess Kalila said. He looked at her, feeling overwhelmed by her presence. She had to look up at him, since she was about six inches shorter, but her aura of authority made him feel like an ant before her. But, a little more prepared for this encounter than the last one, he refused to be intimidated. Then he remembered that on a whim she could do anything from grant him titles and estates to have him secretly executed.

  "I'm sure you understand, though, that it was necessary," she continued. "We have a delicate situation here. And one I expect your help with. The Empire needs you and so do I."

  "I'm flattered, your majesty. But I'm also confused."

  She flashed him a smile of pearly teeth. She was vibrant. "I do not want to get into all the details of why I am here and why I had to put you through such extreme measures to speak with me. But understand I went through all this effort for good reason."

  He didn't interrupt her and instead let his mind try to process this new information. Wondering most of all why him? They'd never met before. And, aside from his medals, he was just another pawn in the Imperial warmachine. She had commodores and admirals in her delicate hands, what made him so interesting?

  "This is a matter of internal security and the threat we're dealing with is, potentially, the deadliest and most dangerous in our history."

  Calvin raised his eyebrows. "Well that sounds wonderful..."

  "You tracked down Asari Raidan the first time, when he and the Phoenix disappeared. And now they are sending you to find him again. What you don't know is that when Asari Raidan attacked the Rotham convoy, his motives went deeper than the findings of the tribunal on Praxis One."

  Calvin knew that already. But he wasn't going to contradict her.

  "Fleet Command is giving an unusual amount of attention to this case, and they want Asari caught and executed as soon as possible. They want him out of the way badly, enough that tomorrow you'll be given the order to shoot him on sight."

  "What?" he couldn't help himself. "How could you possibly know that?" He searched her eyes but she seemed used to such probing and revealed nothing.

  "The Admiralty is already discussing that option," the princess said. "I'm certain they will approve it when they meet again in twelve hours."

  "A shoot on sight would be suicide. The Nighthawk might be able to disable the Harbinger but that's a best case scenario, there's no way we could take it on directly. Even if we had the element of surprise and never missed a shot, we’d be shredded to dust!"

  "But if you did manage to cripple the Harbinger's engines, Raidan would be a sitting duck. And if the Harbinger destroyed an Imperial vessel, say yours, that would be good enough to get other fleets involved and take it out, no questions asked."

  "I get the picture. And for some reason you don't want that. You want Raidan to live."

  "Maybe, maybe not. We want you to find him, track him down, and figure out what his next move is. He's part of something big and we need to know more about it. Finding him is the key."

  "I'm already trying to find him."

  "And when you do, we want you not to shoot him. And delay reporting his whereabouts to the Fleet."

  "And, if you don't mind me asking, just who is we?"

  "I'm not at liberty to say."

  "So," said Calvin, trying to be polite. "Why don't you put in an order with Intel Wing? Or give an executive order to Fleet Command?"

  "I can't get into that, Calvin. But the threat I'm talking about goes deep into the Empire, and we're still sorting out who can and can't be trusted."

  "And apparently I'm on the can-be-trusted list."

  "Mostly because we have to trust someone. You're in a unique position; you can act where we cannot. You're not being watched as closely, and you won't draw any suspicion. You're supposed to be hunting down Captain Asari, so pursuing him won't be seen as unusual by anyone. And your ship has the kind of capabilities we may need. All we're really asking is that when you find him, let us know, and don't engage him. Find out what you can, who he’s working for, what are his goals, anything, everything. Then we'll give you further instructions."

  Calvin let out a slow breath. "You know other ships can do everything my ship can."

  "But those ships don't have you." She said softly, stepping closer, touching his hand very briefly. It was enough to put him in shock and he felt his innards melt. Did Princess Kalila really just touch his hand? Wait a minute... she was manipulating him... she was using her beauty and status to throw him off guard. Unfortunately, even though he was aware of it, she had such an effect on him that he was helpless to avoid being psychologically reeled in.

  "You've spent your life out of sight and out of reach of these threatening interests. And," she came closer catching him by the wrist as he took an involuntary step backwards. He looked at the floor but she lifted his chin so she could stare into him with her dark eyes. "I think you are a loyal subject of the Empire. Am I wrong about that?" She let him go.

  "No, you're right about that."

  "Is there any reason why I shouldn't trust you?"

  "No," said Calvin. "Is there any reason why I shouldn't trust you?"

  She smirked. "I like you. But I'm not naive enough to think that's reason enough for you to do what I want. I'll tell you what. Track down Asari, find out what he's up to, and there just might be full citizenship in it for you."

  "Is that a bribe?"

  "Consider it a reward. Your mother is healthy with a good forty more years of life in her. Why wait for her to die to inherit your own citizenship, when I can give it to you with a pen stroke?"

  "You know a lot about me, princess. I had no idea I was this interesting."

  "Anyone who is in a position to help the Empire is interesting," she said. "And valuable."

  "Valuable enough to ask for full citizenship before hunting down Raidan?"

  The princess raised an eyebrow. "Don't push your luck. I'm not going to give you something for nothing. As much as I like you."

  "Well, you can't blame a guy for trying." He tore his eyes away from her and looked at her guards. Something was odd about one of them, whose face was hidden beneath his hood. Calvin couldn’t see much but could have sworn he saw a trace of blue-hued skin. Could it be a Polarian?

  The rest of the guards were less interesting and wore common clothes like the princess, though Calvin spotted armor behind a tear in one of their shirts. "You should patch that up if you don't want to give yourself away," he pointed out.

  "Good eye," Kalila said. "Now, Calvin, you must get started immediately."

  He hadn't yet decided how he wanted to handle this situation, he wanted to distance himself from her before evaluating how far he could trust her. But he knew better than to show hesitation in front of her.


  "Yes, I will," he said. "But my superiors are going to need reports, it'll be hard to explain when I find Asari Raidan why I'm not acting against him right away. Or why I don't report his whereabouts immediately. Especially since I have this navy commander on my ship..."

  The princess interrupted him. "Calvin... you're much more likable when you're not making excuses." She was irresistible. "You're very intelligent, I can tell. And clever. Don't doubt yourself. We can figure this out if we work together. You'll find a way. The Empire needs you, and so do I."

  She was so good at slipping past his armor and, seeing her face-to-face, it was impossible to say no. Even if she'd been a commoner instead of a Royal Akira, he still would have folded to her wishes. She just had that gift. Something about her presence, and voice, and dark eyes...

  "I want to get to the bottom of this too," he said, mostly to remind himself he wasn't in this for her. "I will do everything I can for the Empire," he bowed, "but I don't have a way of contacting you."

  "And you won’t," she paused. "In time, we will contact you. Like we did today. Hopefully, when we next meet, you will have some meaningful information.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “I’m sure you will, you’re clever,” she smiled at him. “And I’ll give you enough time. Just … don’t let me down.”

  He nodded.

  "Thank you," her smile faded and her voice shifted from sweet to sober. "And Calvin, do not tell anyone about anything we've discussed here. Or that we met. Don't record it in your log, don't call your friends and brag to them, don't even tell your officers."

  "I understand," he said, realizing this conversation was wrapping up. "But for the sake of my investigation, can you give me more details about the threat you mentioned? I'll need your latest intelligence."