Exodus Of The Phoenix

by Robert Stadnik

  “I thought there was no information on the Screen,” remarked a confused Julie.

  “It’s one of the command council’s many secrets,” admitted the admiral. “The solar system sensor net has been used to monitor each Screen attack and detailed scans were taken of Screen ships during each encounter."

  Julie’s faith in TERRA was shaken by this admission. Growing up all she ever heard was the Screen was powerful, that human technology had no way of combating them. She assumed TERRA had no viable information about the Screen, that their vessels were impervious to scans. She never imagined TERRA had the capability to monitor Screen attacks.

  “Well I’m glad to hear that you have something to base your assumption that EXODUS has a fighting chance against our enemy,” said John. “What about the fleet itself? All hell is going to break loose once this ship leaves Earth.”

  “Our first step is to leave the solar system as quickly as possible,” piped up the navigation officer. Kevin’s confident voice didn’t match his seemingly awkward nature to John. “I’ve plotted the most direct course out of the system. Unfortunately, given Earth’s current position at launch tomorrow we will be passing by Mars in order to take the quickest route out.”

  “How close will we get to Mars?” asked John.

  “We will be in range of the planet’s particle cannon for a brief period.”

  “Whoa! Hold on!" That was a variable John did not expect to hear. "If TERRA decided to fire that weapon, and I’m sure they would, they’d obliterate us.”

  “EXODUS will be able to withstand the blast,” replied Alex’sis in a cool tone.

  “You know you're awfully confident in this ship." John was starting to get annoyed at what he perceived to be Alex'sis superiority complex. “I don’t care how big this ship is or the amazing technology it possesses. There’s no way it can survive an attack from a planetary cannon.” Everyone in the fleet was well aware of the Mars cannon. It was designed as a defense against a possible Screen incursion. The cannon was the single most powerful weapon TERRA ever constructed. It was capable of taking out a TERRA capital ship in one blast.

  “EXODUS is equipped with an energy shield,” replied Alex’sis. Silence filled the room as John and Julie processed what was just said. It was yet another surprise.

  “You have an energy shield?” asked Julie in disbelief. Both the admiral and Alex’sis nodded in unison. “No one has ever been able to successfully design such a system. What about the problem of high energy consumption or maintaining cohesiveness in the grid?”

  “Solved ten years ago,” replied the admiral. “The current shield system is actually a third generation model.” According to Academy teachings energy shield technology wasn’t expected to be viable for at least another century. There were simply too many variables that scientists had yet to overcome.

  John was almost speechless. He was beginning to realize why Alex'sis seemed so confident about their chance. “The Academy curriculum is going to need some serious revisions.” He looked at the senior staff dumbfounded. “Uh, ok. Well if that’s not an issue then I guess we should have no problem with the TERRA fleet.”

  “None. They pose no threat to EXODUS at all,” said the admiral. “TERRA won’t be aware there’s a problem until you’ve exited Earth’s atmosphere. The council believes we’ll be conducting a thruster test tomorrow at launch. They’ll black out the area from sensor scans and ship traffic will be diverted for ten minutes while we conduct the ‘test’. But once they detect EXODUS in orbit they’ll realize there's a problem and send a detachment from Luna to investigate.”

  “I’ll be monitoring communications from the fleet,” said Bret. “As soon as they're alerted we’ll know.”

  The admiral stepped close to John. “As soon as you’re in space, you’re on your own. Do what you feel is necessary, but you must get this ship out of the system. That’s your top priority above all else.”

  “Even if it means fighting TERRA?” asked Julie.

  “Top priority, commander,” reiterated the Admiral. “You cannot be prevented from accomplishing your mission.” The definitive sound of his voice crept on Julie’s skin in an uncomfortable wave and John held similar feelings. Despite his animosity towards TERRA he cringed at the thought of possibly killing officers. But if TERRA ships posed no threat to EXODUS then maybe they wouldn’t have to worry about getting into a fire fight.

  “We have a full day ahead of us,” said the admiral, changing the subject. “Julie, you’ll accompany Kevin down to the engineering section to meet the engineers and get familiar with the hyper-drive. Kevin has been working closely with the engineering team and has the most knowledge about their operations. John, Alex’sis will take you down to the floor level of Central where the department heads are waiting to meet with you. The rest of you have tasks to complete to prepare for tomorrow’s launch. John, Julie. I will see you one last time tonight.”

  The staff got up and headed out of the board room. Julie waited by the door for Lieutenant Jacobson and they both left at the same time. That left Alex’sis and John alone in the board room.

  “Let me get this paperwork together and we’ll head down,” said Alex’sis.

  “Sure,” replied John. He watched her gather up her papers and put them in her file folder. John waited for her to start a conversation but she said nothing. So John took the initiative to try and learn more about her. “So how long have you been here?”

  “Four years.” She didn’t even look up at him as she continued to organize her papers.

  “You know if we’re going to be stuck in space for years it’d be nice to know a little something about the people serving under me. At least give me a chance before deciding I am the asshole most people say I am.”

  Alex’sis stopped what she was doing and looked at John. “The admiral was right. You aren’t exactly the military type.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “No, I find it quite refreshing. I have to be diplomatic to get all the departments to work together, putting on a facade of cooperation when all I want to do is choke them.” John laughed hearing this. “You think it’s funny?”

  “Yeah, I do. I’m relieved your serious demeanor isn't who you are. I was starting to get worried that maybe you weren't a human being.”

  Alex’sis cracked a small smile. “I’m glad I provide you with some amusement. To satisfy your curiosity I met the admiral during my senior year at the Academy. I was on assignment at the Luna ship yards when he approached me.” She got up off her chair, as did John, and together they headed out the boardroom. “At first I was apprehensive about what he was offering. But when he explained to me what he was trying to do with the EXODUS Project, I couldn’t say no.”

  “So you disagree with TERRA’s stance regarding the Screen?”

  “I do. It’s never made sense to me that the council made no attempt to try and communicate with them. It’s one thing to do nothing against a superior enemy, but at the very least we should confirm what their intentions are. The Screen attacking ships going beyond Mars doesn’t conclusively infer that they want us to stay in our own system, although it does give a good indication.”

  “And you’re ok with having a ship commander who hasn’t graduated from the Academy?”

  “You’ll find many people on this ship who came here under similar strange circumstances. Private Michaels never went to the Academy yet he’s a ranking member of the military here.”

  “How does that work?”

  “It's a long story, one that's best told over a cold beer,” said Alex’sis as they stepped onto the lift.

  “I’m more of a vodka person myself,” said John. “Or gin.”

  “The point is that even though a cadet being given a command position is highly unusual, it’s something we’ve all become accustomed to here. Everyone has their own unique story how they came to the project and the admiral doesn’t make any decision without carefully considering all options. You’ll find that
he’s quite close to everyone here.”

  “I pegged the admiral as not your typical run-of-the-mill military figure,” said John. “He doesn’t use official titles and calls everyone by their first name.”

  “The admiral was right when he said you were insightful.”

  “It’s a blessing and a curse.” The lift opened and they stepped onto the bottom level of Central. “Of course I just think I have a big mouth.”

  “Those traits may have hindered you at the Academy, but they’ll serve you well here. None of us knows what to expect from the Screen and any insight you can provide when we encounter them will help.”

  "Whoa! You better not expect me to come up with some magic solution on how to deal with them. I'm just planning to go along as the situation develops."

  "Then it's fortunate that you'll be helming the most powerful human ship ever made."

  John rolled his eyes hearing that statement. He would soon see if EXODUS was indeed as powerful as everyone was claiming.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  It seemed to Julie that her and Kevin had been standing in the lift for an eternity. The board room was located at the front of the ship; however, the engineering section housing the engine was located at the rear of EXODUS. Although the lift was high speed it still took time for it to travel across the ship to reach the other side.

  Neither Kevin nor Julie spoke in the lift. Julie was unsure how to start a conversation with the lieutenant. She was now his commanding officer and military protocol dissuaded commanding officers from intermingling with subordinates on a personal level. It was easy to follow on a capital ship as personnel rotated duties on all five TERRA vessels. But Julie was going to spend what could be years on this ship and she couldn’t live here and make friends with only the civilians.

  In order to get through the awkward silence Julie pretended to be reading the hyper-drive specs Kevin gave her. She had only a rudimentary knowledge of the physics; TERRA didn't use the technology and civilian ships were banned from having them. The Academy did teach the theory behind hyper-drive, but only covered it briefly in starship design. None of the techs, or engineers, in TERRA could maintenance such an engine if presented one.

  Julie was surprised that a functioning hyper-drive could even be fitted on this ship, despite its girth. Recalling her history lessons the HORIZON had a large jumpgate in lieu of an engine. Sure, that was nearly seventy years ago and enough time had passed to develop an engine small enough to install on a ship, but as far as Julie knew no further development of the technology had been done since the HORIZON's destruction. But it seemed that the people here at the EXODUS Project were able to make further advances on the engine design. It didn't surprise Julie that TERRA had secret development projects going on but somehow it seemed to contradict the appeasement of the Screen. Was the admiral really able to conceal what he was doing here from TERRA?

  "Here we go," said Kevin as the lift door opened. They stepped off onto an expansive corridor, much larger than the corridors throughout the rest of the ship. Unlike those this area was basked in a bluish hue and Julie could hear a low pitch hum reverberating throughout the area.

  "This is the main corridor that feeds into the engineering section," explained Kevin as they headed towards engineering. "Anyone wanting to access this area has to come through this passageway."

  "Why only one way in?" Julie was expecting it to be a security concern. She looked around to see if she could identify any security systems residing in the smooth walls.

  "The hyper-drive surrounds engineering, so access has to be limited to a single entry."

  "Surrounds?"

  "The engine is composed of rotating beams embedded in the walls. The beams generate the Dubois particles which are delivered into the ship's hull. The power core sits within the center of engineering and transmits power to the beams via conduits below the deck floor. The techs monitor and control the system from stations within engineering."

  "I've read up on old hyper-drive specifications," said Julie. Although the construction of these engines were forbidden it wasn't illegal for scientists and engineers to draw up schematics. "What you described doesn't resemble any schematic design I've ever seen."

  "It does sound unremarkable," admitted Kevin. "And the setup is not that impressive when you see it. But the engine does what it's supposed to do."

  "Has it been tested?"

  "We've been able to bring the engine to full power without sending the ship off faster than light. The data clearly shows faster than light travel possible."

  Julie was impressed. It appeared the admiral had waited for the right time to launch EXODUS. All the critical systems had been tested numerous times to verify their integrity. Julie felt a bit at ease knowing that the key systems had been proven reliable.

  The two reached the end of the corridor where a single door stood before them. Kevin punched the nearby panel and the door opened. He entered first with Julie following close behind.

  The engineering section was not as brightly lit as the corridor, so it took a few moments for Julie's eyes to adjust to the reduced lighting. Immediately ahead of them was a short set of stairs. Kevin had already climbed to the top of the landing and Julie quickly followed suit. Once she reached the top she could see the entire engineering area. It was actually quite sparse, unlike the engineering sections of TERRA capital ships, which were compact and littered with computer terminals. The first thing that caught Julie's attention was a large dome sitting in the center of engineering. It was tall and slim, and was surrounded by eight computer stations spaced equally from one another and manned by engineers. Julie surmised the dome housed the main power core. The core itself emitted a soothing hum that she found quite comforting. She swore she could almost make out a melody and tried to associate a song to it.

  Shifting her eyes from the power core to the walls she could see the outline of the beams stacked on top of each other recessed in the walls. She imagined being in engineering with the hyper-drive active, picturing the beams traveling in some high speed race around to nowhere. To her, it was a technological feat this engine was even built. Julie concluded that the admiral recruited top specialists who had the collective knowledge to construct a viable engine.

  "Lieutenant Jacobson! Lieutenant Jacobson!" The shrill voice brought Julie's attention back from her thoughts. She saw a short bald man briskly walking over to her and Kevin. He appeared harmless but the manner in which he was stomping towards them clearly indicated he was ready to start a fight.

  "Professor Donavin," said Kevin politely.

  "That Lieutenant Brandus is giving my people grief about security down here again," the professor said in an upset tone. He didn't even bother to acknowledge Julie's presence which she found rude.

  The professor pulled out a DAT from his lab coat pocket and shook it in Kevin's face. "I still have numerous engineering issues to resolve without having to worry about insignificant matters. Ship security is a military issue and I should not have to be bothered with doing your jobs."

  "Professor, Lieutenant Brandus requested a report regarding security from each department last week," Kevin tried to explain, but the quirky professor wouldn't hear of it.

  "You think this engine is easy to maintain, but you have no idea the problems I must contend with daily to ensure its operating at optimal efficiency. Recalculating drive equations to compensate for variables isn't easy, even for someone with a doctorate. But no, you snap your fingers and expect us to deliver perfection on a whim." Kevin looked over at Julie with a look that screamed, "Help me!"

  "Excuse me, professor," interjected Julie. "Perhaps I can help."

  The professor looked at Julie intently for a long moment. It didn't bother her that he was staring at her, but when his eyes starting moving up and down she felt a sense of creepiness. She couldn't help but think that he was mentally undressing her and wanted to run and hide behind the core and away from his prying eyes.

  "And who are you?" he as
ked in almost a twisted, perverted tone. It was obvious he was enamored by this beautiful young woman talking to him. Julie figured it didn't happen often.

  "This is Julie Olson, our new executive officer," said Kevin.

  "Ah, then I don't have to bother with you," said the professor, dismissing Kevin. "I can go right to the top."

  "I'd be happy to try and resolve any issues you have," she said as she suddenly was thrust in her first personnel crisis.

  "The problem is that you military types are intruding in areas you have no business in. I'm trying to run an efficient operation down here, but I cannot achieve that goal when your Lieutenant Brandus insists I provide information in areas that really don't concern me."

  "You mean security?"

  "Precisely! I have no doubt Chief Sandoval can provide adequate security down here for me and my staff. I should not be expected to provide recommendations on a military matter. I am scientist, not a policeman."

  "I think Lieutenant Brandus wants to avoid any conflicts establishing security protocols for engineering," Julie tried to explain. "Since engineering is your responsibility we want to make sure that any protocols we establish don't intrude with your delicate operation."

  "I wasn't aware the military was so concerned with matters of the civilian departments," said the professor. "As long as you got your end result it didn't matter the process."

  "I want to ensure that all operations on EXODUS are fluid and free of needless distraction. Lieutenant Brandus was simply extending a courtesy by inviting your input on how you think security should be established in engineering."

  "Humph! Didn't think of it that way." He looked at Julie, trying to gauge her sincerity. She certainly was a polar opposite of Brandus, who tended to throw her weight around making demands.

  "Look, if it'll make things easier, you can send the security report directly to me," said Julie, trying to cement his favor.

  "I think that would be an acceptable solution," he replied. "I will send you the report at the end of the day. Just be sure that Lieutenant Brandus knows that I'm working with you now. So you can tell her she's no longer welcomed here." Julie didn't intend for him to assume he could go directly to her all the time, but before she could utter a word the professor turned and headed back to his colleagues near the core.