Phoenix Among The Stars (Exodus)

by Robert Stadnik

  “Thresha, I’m willing to offer your people sanctuary on this ship,” said John. He caught, out of the corner of his eye, Sandoval shifting in his seat and held his hand up to him. “Come with us and I promise to protect you.”

  “Why would you offer a race you just met such generosity?” asked Thresha.

  “I can’t sit by and let an entire race get wiped out,” said John. “Not if I can do something about it.”

  Thresha didn’t respond immediately, thinking over the options.

  “Would your people want to remain, despite the danger?” asked Julie.

  “It is not that,” said Thresha. “My people will not argue if I say we should leave. We have spent many cycles trying to preserve our culture, our heritage. We may lose what it means to be Aldarian if we take refuge on your ship.”

  Before John could respond, Drix spoke up. “These humans are inquisitive creatures and will do what they can to keep your culture alive. Although their primary mission is to seek out the Screen, they have shown themselves to be respectable to other races. You need not worry about losing your identity.”

  John was genuinely touched by Drix’s comments. Their friendship was a testament to the human ability to embrace new cultures and co-exist with others who were different.

  “The sincerity in your words is strong,” said Thresha. “Very well, I will tell my people that we will leave our home.”

  “We’ll begin sending transports down for evacuations,” said John. “Tell your people they can bring whatever they want that will fit on the transports.”

  “That will slow down the evacuation,” said Alex’sis. “We could get all of them off the planet within a couple of hours if they proceeded right to the surface.”

  “Drix, how long would it take before the Screen detected us?” asked John.

  “I cannot give an exact time frame; however, based upon my own experience and the logs I have exchanged with others who have encountered the Screen….” Drix calculated the time using his DAT and converted it to human standard measurements. “I estimate we should leave in seven and a quarter of your time measured hours.”

  “Got that, commander?” said John. “Seven hours, no more.”

  “We’ll begin preparations,” said Julie.

  “Thank you, captain, for your generous offer,” said Thresha.

  John nodded. “We’ll talk again when you get up here. PHOENIX out.” The monitor went dark and John turned to the people assembled around the table.

  “It’s dangerous offering them sanctuary on this ship,” said Sandoval. “We know nothing about them.”

  “I agree, chief,” said John. “But given the circumstances, we don’t have much choice and must accept the risk. I cannot chance the Aldarians being slaughtered by the Screen. Did any of you observe anything noteworthy of my discussion with Thresha?”

  “Her interaction with humans didn’t seem to take much effort on her part,” said Professor Tomas. “Their similar physical appearance to us may extend to similar sociological and cultural methodology.”

  “Is that possible?” asked John.

  “Theoretically, yes. Our social needs are greatly influenced by our environment. This planet is similar to Earth; therefore, one could conclude that Aldarian society may have some basic commonalities with human civilization.”

  “What do you mean basic?” asked Alex’sis.

  “Look at Drix,” said Tomas. “He possesses the same basic concepts we do. He converses with others as equals, he doesn’t physically harm us in order to maximize his own survival. These are basic rules of conduct he exhibits that humans also adhere to.”

  “So what you’re saying is we shouldn’t expect any great surprises when they get up here?” said Sandoval.

  “There will be differences, but nothing so outrageous that we couldn’t accommodate, theoretically.”

  “Psychologically, I couldn’t see anything unique in her behavior,” said Professor Harthy. “Her demeanor was calm and she displayed an air of confidence. There didn’t appear any clues of deception on her part.”

  “I did notice one thing during the conversation,” said Professor Candor.

  “What’s that?” said John.

  “That you were able to have a conversation with her. Didn’t anyone else notice that she could speak English?”

  His statement caught the group off-guard. No one noticed that little fact.

  “Is it possible she has a micron?” said Professor Tomas.

  “Drix?” said John.

  “I do not know,” said Drix. “I assumed she did not as she stated they had not interacted with other races for many cycles. It is possible they received them before their isolation. As I have said, the micron is ancient technology, no one knows of its origin.”

  “For all we know the Aldarians created them,” said Sandoval.

  “It’s something we’ll need to inquire about later,” said John. “Until then, we need to proceed carefully. Chief, I want security in place to monitor and escort the Aldarians when they get on board.”

  “Captain,” said Myers. “They will need to remain in the hangar deck and be escorted in groups to medical for scans during quarantine. I recommend the quarantine zone between the hangar deck and medical remain in place until they have all been processed.”

  “Hangar deck, maintenance, and security personnel will need to remain in the zone in quarantine suits,” said Alex’sis.

  “Work with Sandoval to nail down the logistics,” said John.

  “I recommend once they’ve gone through medical they be grouped together in a block of quarters to minimize security risk,” advised Sandoval.

  “Agreed,” said John. “I’ll leave the assignment of quarters to your discretion. Lieutenant Brandus, you’ll be in charge of the evacuation operation. Once Commander Olson is back on board, I will debrief her in medical.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Alex’sis.

  “Alright, let’s get ready for the Aldarians’ arrival.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Unlike the fiasco of the planetary survey, the evacuation of the Aldarians went smoothly. Surprisingly, the aliens took very little material possessions with them. Thresha did give permission for PHOENIX’s evacuation teams to take some of their technology, but the teams had a hard time deciding what to take. Everything looked tempting.

  After five hours, the planet was completely evacuated. Shortly after the last transport arrived in the hangar deck, PHOENIX lost contact with the two Screen fighters approaching the system. John was tempted to wait for them to reappear on sensors, but he didn’t want to remain and take a chance revealing the Aldarian underground city to the Screen and the technology left behind. So PHOENIX departed the system, with no indication of pursuit from the Screen.

  After the medical staff had reviewed the race’s biometric data for anything that could harm humans, John was contacted by Doctor Myers who informed the captain the medical staff was finishing up with their evaluations on the first batch of Aldarians. John requested both Drix and Chris Anne to meet him in medical. He wanted Drix present to show the Aldarians that he was an equal member of the crew. Chris Anne was the morale officer and designated liaison with the civilians on the ship. His observations of the Aldarians would hopefully squelch any rumors that were already beginning to pop up around the ship about them.

  Despite his experience with Drix, John felt like a novice walking into another first contact situation. He mulled over how to handle his next meeting with Thresha as he waited for Drix and Chris outside medical. He only had to wait a few minutes before they arrived together. John noticed that Chris was all dressed up in one of his gowns and wearing a brunette wig that he wore up in a classic beehive style.

  “I thought you only dressed up when performing,” said John, looking at Chris’ sparkling yellow dress.

  “Fashion can sometimes help a girl handle the stress of everyday life,” said Chris.

  “Excuse me for not understanding,” said Drix
. “But I thought a girl was what you called a female human. You are male, are you not?”

  “Long story, sweetie,” said Chris, patting Drix on the arm.

  “You can change your own sex?” said Drix. He looked at John. “You never stated humans could do that.”

  “No, we can’t. I’ll explain later,” said Chris. He then looked at John, who couldn’t help but smile. “What do you want us to do?”

  “Just be yourselves,” said John. “I want you to interact with the Aldarians, make them feel comfortable. Show them our intentions are not malicious, but I also want you to be observers. Learn whatever you can when interacting with them. If we’re to minimize any disruption their presence may have on the ship, we need more information about them.”

  “I think we can handle that,” said Chris enthusiastically. He was excited to interact with a new alien race and grateful to the captain for giving him this opportunity.

  “We will make the transition easier for them, John Captain,” said Drix.

  The trio entered the medical bay. As Drix and Chris went to meet the newest additions to PHOENIX, John went over to where Doctor Myers was working.

  “How are things looking?”

  “Captain,” said Myers, looking up from his terminal. “Our guests are settling in to their new surroundings.”

  “Any problems?” asked John.

  “None. I must say, given the circumstances, they’ve remained quite calm. I have yet to hear any one of them complain. We’ve finished the bio-scans of this first group and so far, nothing harmful to humans or Cresorian has popped up.”

  “What about Julie’s team?”

  “Professor Begsha needed additional treatments for his legs but, other than that, none of them show any ill effects from their exposure to the Aldarians.”

  John looked over to one of the quarantine chambers and saw Julie leaning up against a bed.

  “Keep me apprised, doc,” said John as he went over to speak to his executive officer. She smiled as she spotted him approaching. “Welcome back, commander. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine, captain,” said Julie. “Doctor Myers says there doesn’t appear to be any danger to me or my team’s health.”

  “The doctor says the Aldarians have been completely cooperative.”

  “It’s amazing how passive they are,” said Julie. “I haven’t seen any hint of anger or frustration from them. They seem to be genuine and kind individuals by nature.”

  “I’m sure that has a lot to do with how you handled yourself down there,” said John. “I was worried the whole time, not knowing what was going on.”

  “It’s tough when you’re not in control of the situation.”

  “Am I that obvious?”

  “You like to be control of everything,” said Julie. “You’re not used to sitting on the sidelines.”

  If they were back on Earth at the Academy, John would have replied with an insult. But John knew she wasn’t being critical of him, and she was right. John hated the thought of her conducting first contact without his presence. He should have been down there, but he knew that, in the future, there would be other situations where he couldn’t be there to take the lead. He had to have faith in his crew.

  “I know I can’t be around for every situation,” said John. “But it was easier knowing that you would do the right thing with the Aldarians. You did well, Julie.”

  John’s compliment caught Julie off-guard. He was never one to give accolades to anyone. To her, it was another example of him trying to grow as a person, to be the captain this ship needed him to be.

  “Thank you, but I don’t think I did anything.”

  “You kept a level head down there, especially after running that disastrous planetary survey.”

  “About that, I think you should run the next survey.”

  “Forget it,” said John. “Some things I want no part of. Next planet we find, we’ll let Alex’sis run the operation.”

  Julie snickered at the thought. Letting Lieutenant Brandus run the next survey would certainly teach the scientists a lesson.

  “It looks like Chris and Drix are faring well with the Aldarians.” John turned to see the pair talking to three of their newest guests, chatting as if they were at a dinner party. The Aldarians seemed at ease speaking with two representatives of races residing on PHOENIX.

  “I’m sure some of the scientists would argue that Chris Anne doesn’t have the credentials to conduct diplomatic scenarios with an alien race.”

  “You’re probably right,” said John. “But somehow I knew he was the perfect person for the role.”

  “That’s a big reason Admiral Johnson chose you to command PHOENIX,” said Julie. “You think outside the box, and it usually works.”

  “You think TERRA would approve?”

  “You know they wouldn’t, but then again, TERRA isn’t here.”

  “Excuse me,” said Thresha, who sat up from her bed in the quarantine field next to Julie. “May I ask how my people are doing?”

  John moved over to Thresha’s quarantine field to speak with her. “I hope my conversation with Commander Olson didn’t wake you.”

  “I was meditating on recent events, organizing my thoughts. You are Captain John Roberts?”

  “I am and it’s nice to finely meet you in person. My apologies for having to keep you in quarantine, but it’s standard medical procedure.”

  “Your Commander Olson explained the process to me. Are my people well?”

  “Oh yes, they’re fine. Doctor Myers is finishing up the scans of this group and will soon release you to quarters. Those waiting at the hangar are being provided with anything they need. We’re trying to make them as comfortable as possible.”

  Thresha smiled. John couldn’t get over her beauty, it was flawless. “I cannot express how much it means to me that you would protect us.”

  “I couldn’t leave you under threat of the Screen discovering you.”

  “I explained to Thresha our mission regarding the Screen,” said Julie.

  “Yes,” said Thresha. “My condolences on the plight of your people.”

  “Thank you,” said John. “Have your people had any contact with them in the past?”

  “Our history is lost to us,” said Thresha. “Our stories tell of a great plague that descended on our homeworld, of fire burning the sky, and my people’s migration to the city below.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a natural disaster,” said John. It almost sounded like some sort of biblical parable; fire and brimstone raining down from the heavens to punish those who had displeased the gods.

  “We have not had a reoccurrence of that event in our recent history,” said Thresha. “As far as we know, our homeworld did not have anything unique in its makeup that would explain such an event.”

  John was disappointed. He hoped the Aldarians could provide some new information about the Screen, but it seemed they could offer nothing due to their prolong isolation.

  “I am sorry we don’t have the information you are seeking,” said Thresha in an apologetic tone.

  “What? No, it’s fine. Our search for the Screen may be our primary mission, but we’re also out here to explore.”

  “My people do not have any experience with space exploration, but we are willing to help you in any way we can. It is the least we can do for your generosity.”

  “Thank you,” said John. “I have to get back to my duties. I’ll make sure you’re regularly apprised of your people’s status.”

  Thresha nodded to John, who smiled at her and then nodded to Julie before retreating back to where Doctor Myers was working.

  “What do you think?” asked Myers.

  “I amazed how calm she is,” replied John. “If I was whisked away to an alien vessel and dependent on them, I’d be a bit freaked out.”

  “That didn’t stop you from offering to bring them here.”

  “I didn’t see any other alternative. I couldn’t leave them and ri
sk the Screen finding them. What would you have done?”

  “Probably the same thing,” said Myers. “Our only other choice would have been to remain and defend the planet, and no doubt the Screen’s interest would be piqued as to why PHOENIX would defend a supposedly lifeless world.”

  Although John didn’t want to admit it to himself, he had doubts about bringing a large group of aliens on board they had little knowledge of. But his instincts were telling him he made the right choice.

  “Doctor,” said John, changing the subject. “Did you find a micron in Thresha?”

  Myers pulled up a display of Thresha cranial scans. “According to the medical scanner, she has no micron.”

  John scrutinized the image on the display. Sure enough, there was no indication of a micron in her.

  “None of the Aldarians I’ve scanned show a micron,” said Myers. “I can only conclude that none of them will have them, but there’s more. Both Nurse Pavlenko and Technician Morton have been carrying on conversations with the Aldarians, but neither of them has been injected with a micron.”

  “How’s that possible?” asked John.

  “I haven’t found anything to explain it. So far the only noteworthy item is the Aldarian brains have higher synaptic activity compared to an average human. I can’t say what that means until I do a detailed analysis of their brain physiology.”

  John tried to come up with a reason how the Aldarians were communicating with the crew and vice versa without the aid of a micron. Individuals conversing with no knowledge of the other’s native language was impossible, but somehow it was occurring. John was unsettled by the notion and wanted an explanation for it.

  John was careful not to speak too loudly for anyone but the doctor to hear him. “If the Aldarians were malicious, they would have done something to our people on the planet when they were discovered. I only have my gut to go on, but I don’t think they’re a danger to us.”

  “Will you question Thresha about this phenomenon?”

  “I’ll need to, but I’ll wait until the analysis of their biology is complete. Maybe you’ll come up with an explanation. If not, then I’ll question Thresha about it. For now, let’s keep this under wraps.”