“Dispatch a REPO to the freighter,” ordered John. “Larin, we’ll evacuate you to our ship.”
“My wares,” said Larin.
“We’ll transfer everything you need from your ship,” promised John.
“Thank you, captain,” said the grateful Onixin.
Less than an hour later the Onixin was on PHOENIX. Once everyone got on board, the ship made a hasty departure as the freighter exploded. Julie, Drix, and Chief Sandoval met Larin as the REPO returned to the hangar bay. He informed them he was en route back to his homeworld after completing a trade mission when the Screen attacked. The staff learned that Onixin merchants were the only ones who traveled through space from their homeworld. But they traveled on aging freighters that required increased maintenance to continue to operate. Larin wouldn’t go into specifics about why Onixins weren’t building ships anymore. John offered to take him back to his homeworld, especially after learning the Onixins lived under a single government. Larin accepted the offer and provided the coordinates to the Onixin star system.
Three days later, PHOENIX arrived at the Onixin homeworld, called Plein. Larin sent a message ahead of time so that his people would not be alarmed at the presence of a massive starship entering the system. The senior officers were on the command deck as the ship approached the planet.
“Picking up numerous vessels in orbit of the planet,” reported Alex’sis. “They’re all freighters, similar to Larin’s ship.”
“Freighters are all derived from a single schematic design,” said Larin. “This has allowed components to be swapped between ships.”
“Anything else we should know?” asked John.
“There’s a single moon orbiting the planet,” said Kevin. “I’m picking up numerous structures, but they’re all empty.”
“Kresil is the name of our moon,” said Larin. “It used to be home to various scientific installations sponsored by the government.”
“Why is it abandoned?” asked Julie.
“I do not believe it is my place to answer that. The council will need to decide if they wish to discuss the history of Kresil with you.” John instantly picked up that there was a story behind the Onixin moon. He made a mental note to ask the council about it.
“Captain,” said Bret. “We’re receiving a message from the planet.”
“Open channel,” ordered John.
“This is planetary traffic station Nuros. Identify yourself.”
“This is Larin of the merchant group Forgus, identification Hyrilix.”
“Identification confirmed. You are traveling on the alien vessel designated PHOENIX. Stand by. Your transmission will be routed to Onixin council chambers.”
“Your arrival has attracted the attention of our leaders,” said Larin.
John wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. He was still dealing with guilt about what happened with the Volux. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to deal with the leaders of another alien government. But he had to, as he knew it was the only way of learning if the Onixins had any information about the Screen.
The holographic display materialized, showing five Onixins seated around a half-circle table.
“This is Ogo of seat Welli, speaker for the Onixin council.”
“Speaker, I am Larin of the merchant group Forgus.”
“Welcome home, Larin,” said Ogo. “We are glad you have been returned safely to us. We read about your encounter with the hostile fighters.”
“May I present the captain of the vessel who defeated our adversaries and offered me passage home,” said Larin, motioning to John.
“Speaker Ogo, I’m Captain John Roberts of the human starship PHOENIX.”
“On behalf of the council I welcome you to our world,” said Ogo. “Thank you for rescuing our trader. Never before have we heard of such gratuitous actions exhibited by another race.”
“It was luck that we were in the vicinity of Larin’s vessel when it was attacked,” said John. “Unfortunately, we were unable to save his ship.”
“A ship can easily be replaced,” said Ogo. “A life cannot. As a token of our appreciation, we would like to extend an invitation to you and your staff to visit our capital. We understand you are seeking information about the aggressors you designate as Screen.”
“That’s correct,” confirmed John.
“We would be happy to tell you what we know of them.”
Bingo! Finally, someone had some information about the Screen. All these months in space was finally paying off.
John had to contain his excitement. “I accept your generous invitation.”
“Our attaché office will contact you with the arrangements,” said Ogo as the holographic display disappeared.
“Finally, we get a break,” said Alex’sis.
“Larin, how come none of the other council members spoke?” asked Julie.
“The speaker is delegated to conduct the initial contact with all new alien visitors to our world,” explained Larin. “When you meet with the council on Plein, the other members will speak with you.”
“Well then,” said John. “Let’s get ready for our visit.”
CHAPTER TEN
A transport shuttle carrying John, Alex’sis, Drix, Chris Anne, and Chief Sandoval flew over the capital city of Plein, escorted by two Onixin fighters. The transport had to fly at half speed so that the fighters could keep up. It gave the transport occupants time to marvel at the cityscape below. At first, the capital didn’t look much different than a human city. Buildings of various shapes and sizes filled the landscape and the city seemed to stretch beyond the horizon. Larin explained that the Onixins were master constructionists and most of the planet was covered with buildings. Plein was essentially one giant city. Even the oceans couldn’t separate the continents as they were all linked by multiple bridges.
After landing at the ship port in the central capital area, the PHOENIX delegation was greeted by the Onixin council in person, who were flanked with an escort of military officers. After introductions were made, John and his group was given a tour of the nearby city and the council chambers. Although the Onixins were a new alien race, conversing with them and navigating through their cultural nuances didn’t seem all that difficult. One benefit for them being space faring was they all had microns, so communicating with them was easy.
After the tour, everyone gathered in a grand balcony that overlooked the capital. Each council member sat next to a PHOENIX representative so that the groups were intertwined.
As servants placed food and drink on the table, Ogo spoke. John eyed the black liquid that was poured into his cup. The color alone was enough to dissuade him from even attempting to sip it. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he caught a whiff of its smell, which reminded him of sewage.
“Larin informed us that you have been seeking the Screen aggressors that have plagued this region of space,” said Ogo.
“Correct,” said John. “The Screen have interfered with my people’s ability to conduct space exploration for many cycles. PHOENIX was dispatched to locate their homeworld and determine the reason for their hostilities.”
“I would say your mission would be a foolish endeavor,” said Ogo. “But considering your vessel was able to defeat the Screen and its considerable size, your goal may be attainable.”
“None of your ships have ever defeated a Screen ship?” asked Sandoval.
“None of our ships that travel beyond our system have the capability to defeat the Screen,” said Trintio of seat Jumagis.
“What about the other races you know of?” asked Alex’sis.
“We have extensive contact with other space-faring races,” said council member Ugunomar of seat Meri. “Some have tried to fight back against the Screen, but all have perished. Your Cresorian ally can attest to that.”
“As I have told John Captain, the only hope against the Screen is to flee,” said Drix. “But the PHOENIX has been triumphant over the Screen in every encounter.”
“Then there is hope
that things may change,” said Trintio.
“As impressive as your ship is, we cannot expect a single vessel to fight the Screen,” said council member Vinvitti of seat Florideux. “Unless your people have other vessels like the PHOENIX.”
“Unfortunately, PHOENIX is the only ship of her kind in service” admitted John.
“Based on the frequency and numerous locations where our ships have encountered the Screen,” said Ogo. “We can only assume they have a sizable military fleet. Your impressive starship cannot stand against an entire armada.”
It was an unpleasant fact. PHOENIX was just one ship. It was unrealistic to expect her to defeat the Screen military alone.
“Have the Onixins ever tried contacting the Screen?” asked Sandoval.
“Our council predecessors did enter in trade negotiations with the Screen.” Ogo’s response rekindled John’s interest.
“What’d they negotiate for?” asked the young captain.
“At the time, our people had developed a vast and unlimited energy source called quadrin,” said Ogo. “It was easy to produce and quite powerful. Very little quadrin was needed to power all systems on a ship.”
“The vacant facilities on Kresil was used for quadrin research and development,” said council member Guigrinitar of seat Avirio, who finally spoke. “Kresil was to become our central processing center to make quadrin. It would have allowed us to power our ships, allowing us to explore farther regions of space.”
“The Screen appeared during the development phase and wanted to trade for our quadrin research,” explained Ogo. “Although we intended to use it for peaceful purposes, we knew that it could be used to develop highly destructive weapons. The Screen spent months trying to convince us to trade, but the council rejected all their offers.”
“The Screen were fortunate we never traded them the research,” said Ugunomar. “An accident on Kresil destroyed most of the moon’s surface.”
“What happened?” asked Alex’sis.
“There was a cascade reaction with the quadrin that rippled through the entire energy network,” said Vinvitti. “Our research indicated the quadrin was stable, but we were wrong.”
“The investigation afterwards revealed the quadrin destabilizes when in constant use,” said Ogo. “Once we determined it could never be used as a stable power source, we abandoned further development.”
“And the Screen?” asked John.
“They left shortly after the accident,” replied Ogo. “With the one item they wanted deemed useless, they cut all ties with us and we never heard from them again. Several crunons later, they began attacking our vessels in space.”
“What about your military fleet?” asked Alex’sis.
“Our conventional power cores are impractical for long term space travel,” said Ogo. “It takes significant raw materials to power a ship. We would have to create an entire network of fueling stations to support a military fleet. Our planet does not have the necessary resources to support such a network.”
“The cost of operating a freighter is high as it is,” added Larin. “We have to pack our freighters full with product to turn even a small profit.”
John went through all this information in his mind. This seemed way too convenient for the Screen. They couldn’t get their hands on a highly desirable power supply, but it works out ok for them because it winds up being useless? No, it was too much of a coincidence.
“Ogo, how do you know the Screen didn’t have something to do with the accident on Kresil?”
Ogo looked perplexed. “I do not understand.”
“Don’t you think it’s odd that the one thing the Screen wanted turns out to be a dud? If they couldn’t get the Onixins to trade the quadrin, it would make tactical sense for the Screen to ensure you’d never use the energy.”
“Our investigation never yielded anything to indicate the accident was a result of sabotage,” said Ugunomar.
“Your suspicions hold merit, captain,” said Ogo. “But there is no evidence to support your statement.”
“May I offer a suggestion,” said Drix. “Onixin sensor technology is not as sophisticated as Cresorian or the sensor equipment on PHOENIX. If we could evaluate the accident data, we may be able to identify something your equipment was unable to pick up.”
“I am not sure what would be gained,” said Trintio. “Our investigators were exhaustive in their efforts.”
“There is also nothing lost by having them review the data,” said Ugunomar. “This may give us the opportunity to restart quadrin production.”
Ogo looked at Roberts. “I have no objection, captain. If you wish to have your experts evaluate the data, we will make the files available to you.”
“Thank you,” said John. “In the meantime, I would like to extend an invitation for your people to visit PHOENIX.”
“We will have our attaché office work with you to establish the parameters for such visits,” said Ogo. “For now, we would like to offer you more of our hospitality.”
The remaining day on the planet, the Onixins went all out entertaining the captain and his group. They split up into smaller groups to explore various parts of the capital. Alex’sis had so much fun striking out on her own she almost missed the lavish meal prepared for them. She made a mental note to bring Julie down, as she didn’t want the executive officer to miss out on the wonders of the city. Later, the group was honored with a show put on by the planet’s finest entertainers. The Onixins seemed partial to using colored lights in their routines and the group found the entire experience fascinating.
It was such a hectic day that John was too tired to take the transport to PHOENIX. The council offered John a suite in the council palace. Alex’sis elected to stay as well. So did Chief Sandoval, who wasn’t about to return to the ship without its captain. The trio was placed into a single suite. Fortunately, there were plenty of rooms in the suite so the three did not have to sleep together.
But as John laid on the diagonally slanted bed, he found he couldn’t sleep. His mind kept going over the Volux incident, how PHOENIX’s arrival helped to lead the alien race to their demise. Now he was here, engaging in a fruitful dialog with another alien race. How many more alien encounters would be this successful? How many more would end up like the Volux?
John got out of bed and went to the large middle room area. He took a seat on the ledge by an oversized window that looked out at the capital landscape. There wasn’t anyone in the streets. The Onixins were dependent on their sun to provide their bodies energy. At night, everyone had no choice but to go to sleep. Only those select few who trained themselves to stay up at night kept things running on the planet.
“Captain?” John turned to see Alex’sis approaching him. She was wearing a flowing robe that was embroidered with complex patterns. The council had commissioned tailors to custom make clothes for the PHOENIX delegation. It was a pleasant surprise finding these gifts waiting for them in the suite.
“I didn’t wake you, did I?” asked John as she sat on the other end of the window ledge.
Alex’sis shook her head. “I was going over some reports. But you should be sleeping. The planet’s night cycle barely lasts five hours.”
“I can’t sleep,” said John.
“Is it the bed? I know it’s slanted, but it’s actually very comfortable.”
“It’s not the bed. I’m just comparing our encounter with the Onixins to our encounter with the Volux.”
Alex’sis was worried that the captain was still preoccupied about the Volux. “You can’t compare them. The Volux only looked at us as an opportunity to advance their respective causes. The Onixins have been nothing but grateful to us for saving one of their merchants.”
“Unless they also have an agenda with us,” said John.
“Is that what this is really about?”
“No,” admitted John. “I’m just thinking what I could have done different to prevent the Volux from destroying themselves.”
“I don’t think there’s anything you or I or Commander Olson could have done to prevent that from happening,” said Alex’sis. “Sometimes you can say and do all the right things and it still goes bad.”
“I suppose.”
“Captain, I’m worried about you. This is the second time I’ve found you doubting yourself. You’re not acting like the confident cadet Admiral Johnson selected to command PHOENIX.”
“I was an arrogant brat who didn’t have a clue about the real world,” said John. “I’m beginning to see how unprepared I am for this mission.”
“No,” said Alex’sis angrily. “Don’t you start feeling sorry for yourself. I’m not going to hold your hand and coddle you. You’re a great captain who’s kept us alive out here when everyone back home said it couldn’t be done. You’ve got to snap out of this depression, otherwise you’re no good to us.”
“Easier said than done,” replied John.
“You really thought the mission was going to be that easy?” asked Alex’sis. “Come on, captain. You’re good, but you knew we’d hit some bumps on the road.”
“The extinction of a race isn’t a bump in the road,” said John. “I can’t just shrug my shoulders and move on.”
“So what are you going to do?” said Alex’sis. “Wallow in misery? There are races out there who you can still save. Look at Drix. Look at the Aldarians. Because of you they have a place to call home.”
“A single Cresorian and three hundred Aldarians can’t compare to the deaths of billions!” yelled John, the buried emotions exploding from him. “Everyone keeps telling me to get over it, but I can’t! A whole planet of individuals are gone!”
Alex’sis knew John felt guilty about the Volux, but she wasn’t aware of how deep his guilt ran.
“I thought I knew all about you from your files Admiral Johnson had on you,” said Alex’sis. “But there was one thing missing from your dossier, something I’ve seen since you’ve taken command. You’re a compassionate person who deeply cares for everyone around you. I saw it when Drix first came on board. In a matter of days you treated him like a long lost friend. I saw it again when we found the Aldarians. Despite the security concerns, you weren’t about to walk away and risk losing them to the Screen. I see it every day when you work with Commander Olson. I can’t imagine that you two were enemies at the Academy. You treat each other as officers and friends.”
Phoenix In Chaos (Exodus) Page 6