Phoenix Among The Stars (Exodus)

by Robert Stadnik

  “Doctor Myers,” said Julie, giving him the floor.

  “Thank you, commander,” said Myers. “First of all, I want to clarify that Drix is a he.”

  “Excuse me?” said Julie.

  “His humanoid makeup is not too different from us. I’ve identified two flaccid organs in his torso region around the same area where human sex organs are located.”

  “Flacid organs?” said Kevin. “Are you saying he’s got two penises?” Everyone looked at the navigation officer. “Sorry.”

  “You are correct,” said Myers. “Their functions combined operate just like a human penis.”

  “Combined?” said Bret.

  “Yes, you see one provides the seminal…”

  “We don’t need to go into details,” said Julie, interrupting the doctor. The scientists didn’t seem squeamish about the topic, but Julie wasn’t a scientist and was feeling embarrassed. “Let’s focus on the micron.”

  “Oh, yes,” said Myers. “We verified that an identical device is residing in Drix’s brain. There’s no indication that it’s altering Captain Roberts or Drix’s neurological patterns. There is no signal emanating externally from the device to indicate any interaction from an external system on Drix’s ship. The device has allowed the captain to understand Drix’s spoken words and written language.”

  “Puts me out of the job,” joked Professor Marlin. Everyone in the room chuckled at her remark.

  “Your skills are very much needed,” reassured Julie. “Professor Donavin, did you find evidence on the alien vessel to support Drix’s statement about a damaged power core?”

  “The power core contains high intensity plasma,” said Donavin. “But the plasma composition is completely different from the plasma that powers PHOENIX. The core itself is composed of various unknown compounds.”

  “Metallurgy is still analyzing the composition,” said Jack Torrent, head of the metallurgy department. “After careful analysis we concluded the core was damaged from a high intensity impact.”

  “A weapon,” concluded Sandoval.

  “Or space debris,” said Alex’sis.

  “We don’t have evidence to say one or the other,” said Donavin. “If it was a weapon, there are no fragments if it was a projectile and no residual signature of an energy weapon.”

  “The fact that the alien isn’t being honest with us should be of concern,” said Sandoval.

  “This is the first time he’s encountered our race,” said Julie. “It’s natural for him to withhold some information until he becomes better familiar with us.”

  “So what’s our next move?” asked Sandoval.

  “I’m releasing both the captain and Drix from quarantine tomorrow,” said Myers. “The inoculation I developed has been effective on the A1C1 bacterial strain. I’ve already released the agent in gaseous form through the environmental systems to inoculate the crew.”

  “You released a medical agent without anyone’s consent?” asked Sandoval in an upset tone.

  “I wasn’t aware that decisions regarding medical issues required security clearance,” replied Myers. “It was necessary to inoculate the crew before I could release Drix and Captain Roberts from quarantine.”

  “Commander…,” said Sandoval.

  “The doctor cleared the move through me and the captain,” said Julie. “I don’t see a problem.”

  Sandoval slumped back in his seat, choosing to say nothing more.

  “We’ve set aside quarters for Drix to stay on board indefinitely,” explained Julie.

  “And when he wants to leave?” asked Sandoval.

  “Then we send him on his way,” said Julie. “We’ll get as much information as we can from him about other aliens and, hopefully, the Screen. But if and when Drix wants to leave, we won’t stop him.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The ECON worked flawlessly ever since Drix reconfigured the software. Some of the ship’s software engineers said that it seemed to be operating faster than before. They went over every line of code, but there was no indication that Drix had planted any sort of malicious software. John already knew that the alien hadn’t done such a thing. He prided himself on being able to perceive individuals and he believed Drix had no hostile intentions towards the crew.

  Drix had given permission for the engineers go over his ship with their scanners. The unexpected encounter with an alien so soon after leaving the solar system had thrown off the ship’s schedule and, much to Kevin Jacobson’s delight; PHOENIX was holding its position in the Tau Ceti system, allowing for continued scientific surveys of the star system.

  The days spent together in quarantine did not dilute John’s desire to spend more time with Drix. As the captain headed to the quarters assigned to the Cresorian, he reviewed the data on his DAT that the engineers obtained about the alien’s ship. Some of their conclusions were surprising, so much so that Professor Donavin had to review the data several times.

  Arriving on deck seven, John made a short walk down the corridor to Drix’s quarters. He pressed the door chime and in a few seconds he heard Drix say, “You may open the door, computer,” but the door remained closed. It took a few seconds for John to realize that the computer didn’t recognize Drix’s words. He entered his command code in the door panel and opened it. He was surprised to find the Cresorian standing right there, causing the captain to step back.

  “Greetings, John Captain,” said the alien in a jovial tone. “Forgive the delay, but I could not figure out how to open the door.”

  “It opens by voice command,” explained John. “I forgot the computer doesn’t understand you. I’ll have to show you how to open it manually.”

  “If you like, you could install a micron in your vessel’s computer,” offered Drix as he stepped back, allowing John to enter.

  “Would that work?”

  Drix nodded. “The micron is adaptable to both organic and synthetic systems.”

  John made a mental note to mention this bit of information to the command staff. “How are your quarters?”

  “Spacious. It has been quite some time since I enjoyed such a large living area.” Drix wasn’t kidding. John saw the cramped quarters in his vessel and couldn’t imagine spending years living in such cramped space.

  “I hope the books I gave you provided some entertainment.” John loaded a DAT with several novels to give Drix exposure to human culture.

  “Your stories have amused me,” replied Drix. “I am particularly fond of ‘The Color Purple.’ Your species seems to have a perchance of putting many emotions in a single story.”

  “Emotions are our greatest strength and weakness. It’s what fuels our passion to move forward.”

  “I must say John Captain, that you are unlike any race I have encountered. You are a curious and open species, a trait not common out here.”

  “If one is to explore the stars, then you have to be willing to take a chance when meeting new races.” John wanted to start asking about the other races Drix had knowledge of, but he didn’t want to come across as desperate for information.

  “Such wisdom seems uncharacteristic for someone who has only begun their journey,” said Drix.

  “Thank you,” said John as he took a seat on the couch. “I’ve learned a lot about you Drix and would like to learn more about you and what you have seen. I was expecting to jump PHOENIX from system to system, but I was hoping you would consider becoming a guide for us and provide us more meaningful direction.”

  “Are you offering to let me stay on your ship?”

  “For as long as you want. I think you could be a great resource, but that’s not the only reason I’m extending the offer. You’ve spent your whole life living alone on your ship and, even though we don’t know a lot about you, I can’t imagine a solitary life has been easy. If you’re interested, I would like to change that. Of course, you’re free to leave PHOENIX at any time.”

  Drix brushed the hair on his hand, like he was petting an animal, as he considered th
e captain’s offer. “After my time on your vessel, the thought of returning to my ship does not appeal to me. I would like to stay here and learn more about you creatures. You are the first race willing to share what they have with an outsider.”

  “Then it’s settled,” said John, extending his hand. Drix looked at it with curiosity. “Shaking hands is something we do when two parties come to an agreement.”

  Once John finalized his deal with Drix, he contacted Julie, Alex’sis, and Chief Sandoval to let them know about the arrangement. Alex’sis wasted little time and headed to medical to see Myers. “Doctor,” she said as she entered his office.

  “Lieutenant Brandus,” said Myers without looking at her. He was busy reading the medical data on his desk’s terminal. “What can I do for you?”

  “I tried downloading the analysis done on the micron, but the computer said the information is still restricted by you.”

  “Oh, sorry,” said Myers, taking his eyes off his monitor. “The captain said to release the information, but I never got around to it.” He entered a few codes in his terminal. “There you go.”

  “Thanks,” said Alex’sis as she read the information on her DAT. “Once we’ve reviewed the schematics on this thing the captain is going to ask for volunteers to be injected. With the alien remaining on board, the captain wants more than one person to be able to communicate with him.”

  “A sensible plan,” said Myers. “If you like, I could handle the task of asking for volunteers.”

  “That’d be great, doc. It’s one less thing for me to worry about.” Alex’sis started to leave but stopped in her tracks. “Oh, before I forget, Chris is going to be playing tonight.”

  “He hasn’t performed in two months.” Chris was a musician and the ship’s resident performer at The Lounge, one of two bars in Central. Unlike Smitty’s, The Lounge had a Las Vegas flare to its atmosphere.

  “He posted his performance schedule on the ship’s message board,” said Alex’sis. “If you’re going to go, get there early. It’s probably going to be a full house tonight.”

  “Is the captain going?”

  “He wanted to spend more time with Drix, but I told him he’d be missing a great performance and shouldn’t miss it.”

  “An evening of music does sound nice, but I have so much work to do. I’m still trying to organize all the new medical data on Drix.”

  “Well, at least pipe the performance through your pip.”

  “Some of Chris’ songs would be nice to hear while I work,” said Myers. The doctor, like most people on the ship, enjoyed Chris’ music and was happy to hear he was going to perform again. The last time Chris performed was two weeks prior to PHOENIX launching from Earth.

  CHAPTER NINE

  John was not in the mood for a concert tonight, even though everyone was talking about it. He already planned to spend the evening in Drix’s quarters visiting the alien, but Alex’sis was relentless. He didn’t appreciate being told he had to go, that it was his duty as ship’s captain. Rather than arguing with her, John relented and agreed to attend, but he was going to show his disdain all evening.

  Both Julie and Alex’sis arrived at his quarters to escort him to Central, but John knew it was to make sure he actually would go. And they were right, if they didn’t come by John would have skipped the concert. As they headed to Central, they were joined by Chief Sandoval.

  “I thought you were going to hang out with our alien?” said the chief.

  “Apparently, this musical performance is a higher priority,” said John in a sarcastic tone as he looked at Alex’sis. “The lieutenant thinks my presence is required for the show to go on.”

  “Captains are expected to attend social engagements,” said Alex’sis.

  “Yeah, diplomatic events, military ceremonies,” said John. “We’re going to a bar. I don’t think that qualifies as a social engagement.”

  “I’ve never seen you complain having to go to a bar,” said Julie. John shot her a nasty look. “Come on, captain. This isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

  “I know,” said John. He couldn’t argue with her. John never said no to anyone who invited him out for drinks.

  “Besides, people have been telling me how good Chris is,” said Julie. “We couldn’t pass up his first performance in space.”

  “Before we get too caught up about this singer I’d like to talk about the alien and the fact you gave him free access to roam the ship,” said Sandoval.

  “Except for critical areas,” replied John.

  “We need to be cautious,” said Sandoval.

  “We are,” said Julie.

  “Hey, we can talk about ship business later,” said Alex’sis. “Tonight’s about having a good time.”

  As the trio approached The Lounge they were welcomed by a large crowd of people trying to make their way inside the establishment.

  “Maybe we should have come earlier,” said John.

  “It looks like the entire crew is here,” remarked Julie.

  Sandoval shook his head. “No singer is worth dealing with this crowd. I’ll watch it from my quarters.” Sandoval turned and left without saying good-bye to the others.

  “The chief’s got the right idea,” said John, but Julie grabbed him by the arm before he could bolt.

  “People are expecting you to show up.”

  “Julie, you know how much I hate crowds. I’m not fighting my way through that mess.”

  “Wait here,” said Alex’sis. They watched as she went around the building.

  “We can make appetizers, mix a couple of drinks, and sit comfortably in our quarters,” said John.

  “We’re staying, get over it,” said Julie.

  “What if I order otherwise?”

  “Ha! Ha! Nice try.”

  “Brandus to Captain Roberts and Commander Olson,” said Alex’sis through their pips.

  “Go ahead,” said John.

  “Look over here,” said Alex’sis. John and Julie looked around but didn’t see her. “The left side of the building.” They spotted Alex’sis waving her hand at them. The pair hurried around the crowd and found she had a door propped open.

  “You’re sneaking us in?” said Julie.

  “It’s easier to get to the captain’s table this way,” said Alex’sis. “You’ll never get through that mob.”

  “A table just for me? I can live with that,” said John. “Does it include free drinks?”

  “We’ll see,” said Alex’sis as she pushed the pair through the door. They waited for her to get ahead of them and lead them to the lounge. They didn’t have to go far to emerge in a brightly lit area.

  A cornucopia of different colored lights illuminated the entire bar. The front area nearest the stage had small tables that could sit up to four people. In the back, a bar stretched across the wall and was packed with people sitting on bar stools.

  The place was packed. As the three senior officers emerged, a round of applause broke out and John knew it was for him. All he could do was smile and wave his hand.

  “Right here,” said Alex’sis, motioning them to sit in the only empty table left. It was right in the front and center, and John couldn’t help but feel he was now the center of attention.

  “Maybe I’m too much of a distraction,” he started to say.

  “You like being the distraction,” said Julie as she and Alex’sis sat down. John couldn’t argue and reluctantly sat down. Before he knew it a waitress, dressed in a black cocktail dress, was at their table.

  “Welcome to The Lounge,” said the perky young woman as she laid three coasters down. “What would the captain and his officers like?”

  “Ladies,” said John, motioning them to order first.

  “Glass of chardonnay,” said Julie.

  “Vodka cranberry,” said Alex’sis.

  “I’ll have the same,” said John.

  “Be right back,” said the waitress as she darted off. John looked around the bar and saw a good mix of
civilians and military officers together.

  “So can you tell us anything about the singer?” Julie asked Alex’sis.

  “I think Chris is from Chicago,” said Alex’sis. “That’s where Admiral Johnson found him.”

  “Really?” said John. Admiral Johnson said he personally selected everyone who came to the EXODUS Project, but John assumed it was limited to the specialists and military officers. He didn’t think the admiral would bother hiring the entertainment.

  “Of course,” said Alex’sis. “How do you think we were able to keep the EXODUS Project under wraps from the public? The admiral personally handled bringing people to the Tormented Valley.”

  It made sense as to how they were able to keep the activities at the EXODUS Project a secret from TERRA all those years. John was about to ask another question when the lights dimmed. People began cheering, which meant the entertainment was about to begin.

  The crowd waited as the red velvet stage curtains slowly parted, revealing a man in a tuxedo sitting at a grand piano. The crowd applauded and the man nodded to them before beginning his performance. This was the first time either John or Julie had seen the performer since joining the crew. Julie was mesmerized by his attractiveness: his jet black hair slicked back, his flawless face.

  The melody Chris played was beautiful and enchanting. Everyone in the room was hypnotized by the sounds coming from the piano. Chris began to sing, which only served to enrich the performance.

  John was enthralled by the music, but he couldn’t help but feel there was something haunting about the tune. Chris’ voice had a hint of sadness to it. He paid close attention to Chris as he played, noticing the singer seemed completely oblivious to the crowd. An entertainer always played to his audience, conveying feelings through their art. But John felt Chris was playing only for himself. This went on for the entire performance. By the end of the hour, there was hardly a dry eye in the house.

  When Chris finished he slowly stood up and the crowd burst into applause. John watched as the performer slightly bowed and retreated back as the curtains closed. Some people shouted for an encore, but Chris never reemerged.