Exodus Of The Phoenix

by Robert Stadnik

  “Then maybe we should increase our speed to full,” suggested Alex’sis. “When they see this vessel barreling down on them they’ll scatter to avoid a collision.”

  “And run the risk of a fighter actually crashing into us? I don’t think so.” They had already come this far without firing on anyone and were almost to the border. John wasn't about to abandon his principles.

  “Couldn’t we jump to the outer solar system?” asked Bret. That got John’s attention and he raised his eyebrows at the thought. It was an easy solution. But out of the corner of his eyes he saw Julie shaking her head.

  “I’ve gone over the hyper jump process,” she said. “There are too many variables of trying to jump a ship this size within a star system. We could easily hit a planet, moon, or asteroid. We cannot jump until we pass beyond Pluto.” John rolled his eyes. So much for the quick way out.

  “Commander,” interrupted Alex'sis. “The shields will easily hold against the planetary cannon.”

  “And how do you know that?” asked Julie skeptically.

  “Because Admiral Johnson provided the ship’s engineers with the cannon specs.”

  Julie’s eyes grew wide. “That’s classified. How did…?” She threw up her hands. “Nevermind.” It was another example of Admiral Johnson using his position to cover all the bases. But John wasn’t so sure himself. The AURORA did use its most powerful guns on them, but the planetary cannon was ten times the size of the AURORA’s largest weapon.

  “You sure the shields will hold?” asked John.

  “Absolutely,” replied Alex'sis, unwavering in her confident response. She may have had some minor reservations in the back of her mind a few minutes ago, but the EXODUS had proven itself in their brief battle against the AURORA and her Interceptors.

  “Good enough for me,” said John. He looked at the shield readouts. “But just in case, let’s activate the ship’s planetary bombardment guns. If we need to disable the cannon I want to be able to do it without delay.”

  “Yes sir,” replied Alex. She moved away from the operations table.

  “The planetary gun houses thirty personnel,” reminded Julie of that well-known fact. “If we wind up firing on it we will cause casualties.”

  “I know. I just hope it doesn’t come to that,” said John as he headed back to his command chair. It was easy to avoid hurting the Interceptor pilots; they were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. But if the planetary gun proved to be a serious threat to EXODUS John felt he would have no choice but to destroy the control facility. He crossed his fingers hoping it wouldn't come to that decision.

  Mars citizens have enjoyed over a century of peaceful existence. Even after TERRA fortified the planet as a front line defense against a potential Screen invasion, Martians, as they proudly called themselves, experienced very little disruption to their day to day lives. Slowly, the Mars economy transformed itself to cater to the large contingent of TERRA officers stationed here. Ask any Martian where TERRA headquarters was and they’d tell you it was on Mars, not Luna.

  Each time a human ship crossed the Mars orbital boundary a planet-wide alarm would sound, alerting citizens to the impending Screen attack on the brazen ship trying to reach the outer solar system. To prepare for the possibility that a Screen ship would attack Mars the planetary gun was powered up each time the alarm sounded. The public never had to wait long for ELM News to broadcast who was the latest victim to fall to the Screen. The attacks were always swift. However, today would be the first time the planetary gun would actually fire on a target.

  The planetary alarm went off throughout the colony. The civilian population, having been trained by TERRA on emergency procedures, headed straight for their homes and designated shelters. They were accustomed to the scenario as TERRA conducted routine drills on a monthly basis. But this time was different as a verbal warning accompanied the alarms and echoed throughout the planet over the public speakers.

  “Warning, planetary defense cannon powering up,” said the ominous female computer voice. “All nonessential personnel keep clear of red zone,” referring to a four mile radius around the gun. “Warning, planetary defense cannon powering up. All citizens are advised to head to designated shelter areas.” As the Martian citizens raced to safety the blast shield slowly erected over the clear poly-metallic dome housing Crimson City, the capital of Mars. Businesses immediately closed and within minutes the city streets were deserted with only the city bots remaining as they continued their meager duties of keeping the streets cleaned and in working order.

  The Mars Command Center became a rapid flurry of activity. Admiral Rollins wasted no time and authorized the cannon to fire. Both the technicians and officers monitoring the gun’s systems were double checking the diagnostic test results.

  “Admiral, power has been successfully transferred to the gun's power cells”, reported the tactical officer.

  “Inform firing control to begin lock on procedures of the enemy ship,” ordered the admiral. “Once they obtain a lock they are to fire immediately. I don’t want to give that ship a chance to escape.”

  “Yes, Admiral.”

  The bridge crew of the EXODUS was monitoring the activity on Mars. All they could do was wait for the attack as EXODUS passed near the planet. Nerves were beginning to hit the crew as the first real test of the EXODUS' might was about to be challenged. Despite their fears the crew remained focused on their tasks.

  “We’re passing by Mars,” reported Kevin.

  “Second wing of fighters is approaching,” added Alex'sis. “Their weapons are active.”

  “Drop speed to one tenth and bring structural reinforcement to maximum,” ordered John. “As soon as the fighters have made a pass, boost the ship’s speed back to half.”

  “Shouldn’t we go to full speed across the boundary,” asked Alex'sis.

  “I don’t want us to get too far from the border…,” said John. Julie and Alex looked up at him. “You know,…just in case.” They both knew exactly what he was alluding to. If the EXODUS failed to repel the Screen attack there was a chance they could retreat back across the border.

  “Don’t worry sir. This ship will hold up against the Screen,” said Alex’sis. John was glad she was sure about the ship because he was starting to have second thoughts again.

  “Incoming fighters,” announced Alex’sis. Flashes of lights from their particle beams again lit up the command deck windows. John saw on his monitor the shields weathering the attack easily and absorbing much of the energy impacts.

  “Sir, the fighters are not doing a pass of the ship,” reported Alex'sis. John brought the tactical readout on his screen. He saw that the fighters were hanging with the EXODUS, doing quick darting attacks back and forth. Many of the fighters were getting dangerously close to the shields. He didn't anticipate they would ride with the ship and was worried one might impact the shields.

  “Sir,” said Alex'sis. “I’m reading full power to the planetary cannon. They’re preparing to fire.”

  John punched up the ship’s internal speakers. “All hands, prepare for impact. I repeat, prepare for impact.” In the final moments the Interceptors pulled away. At least they were given a warning to clear out.

  From space, an eerie white glow began to glimmer from the surface of Mars. It grew in size and intensity as the canon's power was about to be unleashed. Admiral Rollins waited impatiently for the gun to fire, convinced that the EXODUS would not be able to withstand the blast. He was anxious to report to the council that the target had been destroyed, TERRA's problem eliminated.

  The batteries reached full power and channeled the energy through the large barrel of the cannon. A long stream of white energy screamed out to the heavens directly at the EXODUS. The firing group was perfect in locking onto the ship. The blast hit squarely on the front side of the experimental vessel. The ship rocked from the intensity of the blast, catching the crew off guard. For the longest eight seconds the ship was subjected to the cannon’s unr
elenting attack streaming from Mars. John gripped his chair, hoping the ship would hold up. Images of the hull fracturing and the ship breaking up into pieces danced around in his mind as the vibrations of the attack reverberated through the ship. He tried to shake the thoughts out of his head, but he couldn't help it. Down in the pit Julie prayed with her eyes closed for the attack to simply cease.

  The attack finally ended. The intensity of the cannon’s discharge caused the sensors at Mars Command to be blinded during the attack. As the sensors came back online Admiral Rollins gripped his hands into tight fists as he waited the results to be reported.

  “Status of the enemy ship?” demanded Rollins. The tactical officer again rechecked the readings before saying anything.

  “Admiral, readings indicate no damage to the rogue vessel,” reported a dumbfounded officer.

  “Impossible,” exclaimed the admiral in disbelief. He checked monitor himself. Sure enough, the sensors showed the EXODUS completely intact and continuing on its course. Its shields were holding and there was no evidence of any hull damage. Nothing was able to withstand the sheer power of the planetary cannon, but somehow this vessel was able to repel the blast without so much of a scratch.

  "What the hell did you do, Oliver?" muttered Rollins as he glanced over the sensor data confirming the vessel's shields did not breach. He knew Admiral Johnson was a loyal officer, so what was he thinking when he had this ship built?

  “What shall we do, Admiral?” asked the tactical officer. The admiral was at a lost. He didn’t expect to be planning additional stop measures after the cannon had fired. He assumed he would be dispatching a cleanup crew to collect the ship's debris.

  “Bring up a visual of EXODUS’ proximity to the border.” The tactical officer pulled the information up on his monitor. The admiral saw how close EXODUS already was to the border. The attack fleet wouldn’t make it to the ship before it crossed.

  “Recall the fighters,” ordered the admiral. “Have all capital ships take a defensive position by the planet relative to where EXODUS will be crossing the border. Have them redeploy their fighters as support.”

  “What about the enemy ship?”

  “We’ve done all we could to retake it,” admitted the admiral in a resigned tone. “The Screen will take care of them now.” The ship may have survived TERRA's most powerful weapon, but the admiral was certain it would not survive a Screen attack.

  “Yes sir. I understand.”

  “Contact the command council. I need to update them on the situation.” It was a report the admiral was not looking forward to giving.

  The EXODUS crew was taking a quick assessment of their situation. It didn't take long for them to discover the ship weathered the attack completely intact. However, no one celebrated this second victory as they all knew what was coming next.

  Alex’sis was monitoring the fleet’s movements near Mars, making sure they weren’t going to attempt any more runs on them. She caught something on the sensors that she knew the commander needed to be alerted of. “Commander,” she said in an urgent tone. “Take a look at this.” John stepped down from his command chair and joined Alex'sis back at the operations table.

  “What is it?”

  “One of the fighters grazed our shields during the battle. Sensors show its engines were damaged and it sustained multiple hull fractures.”

  “Did the pilot eject?”

  Alex'sis checked her readings. “Negative. It looks like the ejection system was damaged as well. The fighter is floating along the side of us towards the border.”

  “That fighter has no chance against a Screen attack,” said Julie, stating the obvious. John raised his hand to stop her from saying anything more.

  “Is the fleet sending anything out to rescue the fighter?”

  “No,” replied Alex'sis quickly. “The fleet has taken a position of defense around Mars. There’s no indication they’re deploying a Repo.”

  “We can’t leave him out there,” said Julie. John nodded in agreement.

  “I want him in the ship before we cross.”

  Julie wasted no time in contacting the hangar. “This is the command deck. We’ve got a damaged fighter in need of assistance. Deploy Repo for retrieval ASAP.”

  “Acknowledged command deck,” replied the senior hangar deck officer.

  “Slow the ship to allow for the retrieval of the fighter,” ordered John. “And have a medical team standing by at the hangar. Better have a security team there as well.” If the pilot wasn't too badly injured he might not take being a prisoner too well.

  Outside, the huge hangar bay door opened up and a single ship flew out from the deck and circled underneath towards the damaged fighter, which was slowly spinning alongside the EXODUS.

  “Repo One to EXODUS,” said the pilot. “I have visual confirmation of damaged fighter.”

  “Standby Repo One,” said John. “Bret, send a communication to the damaged fighter. Inform the pilot not to open fire. We’re doing a rescue and bringing him on board.”

  “Yes Commander,” said Bret. "Communication has been sent."

  "EXODUS to Repo One. Proceed."

  “Repo One to EXODUS. Deploying grapplers.”

  Two arms of metallic wires shot from the rescue craft. The arms hit the Interceptor and grabbed onto the ship.

  “Repo One to EXODUS. I have positive lock on fighter.”

  “Acknowledged Repo One,” said John. “Proceed back to the hangar at best possible speed. Medical team is standing by.”

  “Acknowledged, EXODUS.” The Repo vessel, with the damaged fighter firmly in tow, quickly made its way back up top of the ship and into the hangar.

  “Hangar deck reporting Repo and fighter craft secured on deck,” reported Julie moments later. “Hangar doors are closed and secured.”

  “Bring the shields back online,” ordered John.

  “Shields up,” confirmed Alex'sis. The comforting hum of the shields brought relief to John and he patted Alex’sis on the shoulder. John knew that this close to the border TERRA would have made no attempt to rescue their lost fighter. He was relieved that he was in a position to help.

  “Commander,” said Julie, in an almost ominous tone. “We’re about to cross the border.”

  John slowly made his way back up to his command chair. It took all his effort to maintain a cool demeanor. The real test of the ship was approaching. He slowly sat in his chair, knowing it was too late to back out now. The Screen were undoubtedly aware of their presence and were waiting for EXODUS to cross the border.

  “Commander Olson,” said John in a calm tone. “Bring the weapons systems online.”

  “Yes sir,” said Julie, quickly inputting her commands to activate the weapons. A loud hum crept up as power was routed to the guns and cannons. Julie felt secured with the ship armed and ready. At least now they had a chance to defend themselves against the Screen.

  “Maximize sensor resolution,” instructed John. “I want to know the second the Screen appear.” John was hoping that the same Screen fighter that had appeared in every recorded encounter would again show up. Regardless of the type of Earth vessel that crossed the border the exact Screen fighter craft always appeared. People speculated if it was the same ship or merely the same class of vessel. John was banking that it wouldn’t change with the EXODUS.

  “Weapons are loaded and at the ready, Commander,” said Julie.

  “Commander, EXODUS is crossing the border,” reported Kevin. “Crossing in ten, nine, eight…” The countdown was broadcasted throughout the ship, so everyone was aware the moment the ship had passed beyond the safety of the inner solar system. The crew did as best they could to prepare themselves mentally for this moment.

  “As soon as we’re across bring the ship to half speed,” ordered John to Kevin.

  The navigation officer nodded as he continued the countdown. “Four, three, two, one…”

  In the void of space the EXODUS crossed the border into what was considered
by TERRA forbidden territory. Except for the HORIZON and RENAULT, no ship had ever gone beyond the border before being obliterated by the Screen. Every EXODUS crew member seemed to stop and hold their breath as they waited for the inevitable course of action to play out.

  “We’re across the threshold,” reported Alex’sis in almost a quiet tone, but no one heard her. Everyone looked around and waited for any sign of the Screen. All that could be heard were the blips and sounds made by the various computer systems. Before long the familiar screeching sound that everyone grew up listening to on ELM News slowly emanated from the uneasy silence. The sound seemed to be coming from everywhere. No one could pinpoint its origin or how it seemed to permeate throughout the ship. The fear it created gripped the crew in a cold grasp. The civilians on board who were off duty quickly escaped to their quarters in some vain attempt to hide from the sound. People in Central raced into nearby shops and apartments, trying to find some area of safety. The military personnel, although griped by the same fear, managed to hold their resolve. This is what they spent their lives training. As Admiral Johnson told them countless times, “Don't try to block out the fear, just coexist with it.”

  “Sensors,” was all John managed to say, a huge lump in his throat preventing him from formulating any phrases beyond one word statements. His mind was telling him they would succeed, but his instincts screamed for him to run. It took every ounce of willpower to ignore the thoughts tearing through his mind. He was not as mentally prepared for this as he thought. He wondered if officers with years of command experience under their belt would feel this way.

  Alex’sis, who was fighting her own inner fears, fumbled her fingers on the controls as she checked the sensor readings. “We’ve got a target inbound.”

  “Is it...?” asked Julie hesitantly. Alex’sis looked up at her with a confirming glance.