Phoenix Among The Stars (Exodus)

by Robert Stadnik

  “You sound a lot like me,” said John. “Humans are content staying in the solar system, but I couldn’t imagine not living in space.”

  “I only wish I was returning to tell the whole there is nothing to fear,” said the alien. “Now I must admit they were right, that there is nothing beyond our system worth exploring.”

  “Hey, don’t let one bad encounter with the Screen sour you,” said John. “What they did to you was wrong, what they’ve been doing to my people is wrong. But Drix and the Aldarians are proof that there are alien races that are benevolent.”

  “According to your own records you defied the will of your people and left your world.”

  “Because my ship is the first one to leave the solar system doesn’t make the men and women on PHOENIX the only ones who want to explore space,” said John. “There’s a lot of people back home who think the same way, but they were too scared to do anything.

  “If you feel the need to tell your people how your experience with the Screen affected you, I understand. But tell them about your experience with us. The Screen is one malevolent race, but there are many good ones out there. You got to meet three of them on this ship.”

  “Your optimism is remarkable given your circumstances.”

  John was perplexed. “How so?”

  “You were forced to leave your home, uncertain that you will ever be welcomed back. You do not know the full capability of the Screen, or what their intentions are towards your people. You roam space, uncertain where to go or what you will find.”

  “I took command of this ship fully aware of those challenges,” said John. “I know I may never be able to return home, even if we do eliminate the Screen threat. But I’d rather be out here facing those uncertainties than remain on Earth and live a life of mediocrity.”

  “For two species that are so dissimilar, you and I have a common desire,” said the alien. “Your words have a profound effect on me. I will reconsider how my time in space has influenced me.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “Five minutes to Ni star system,” reported Kevin. The entire senior staff was on the command deck, accompanied by Drix, Thresha, and their alien guest. John had gone over in his head what he would say to the Ni. According to their guest, as soon as PHOENIX was near the Ni star system, its people would be aware of the alien’s presence. This was a chance opportunity to cement relations with a race whose homeworld, according to their Ni guest, was a marvel of technology. Although John didn’t have details on their capabilities, he couldn’t help but think they could be a powerful ally against the Screen. He only had to get past their xenophobic nature.

  Thresha and Drix were standing next to the alien. As they got closer to the star system, Thresha felt a growing surge of emotion from the alien. It was almost overwhelming to her.

  “You are anxious to rejoin your people?” said Thresha to the Ni.

  “Yes,” said the alien, through a mobile translator unit Drix designed that the alien was carrying within its body. “I was certain to spend the rest of my existence alone in that Screen prison.”

  The alien floated close to Thresha and Drix. “You are fortunate to have come across a race whose compassion shows no limit.”

  “Yes,” said Drix. “The humans have proven to be quite unique.”

  “We are all fortunate to have crossed paths with them,” said Thresha.

  “The meeting with the whole will not be easy,” said the alien. “If they are to be convinced, you both must advocate on behalf of the humans.”

  Thresha looked over at the people standing by the operations table. “It would be my honor to speak on their behalf.”

  “One minute to destination,” said Kevin from his station.

  John looked over to the gaseous alien. “When we exit the jump, it’s up to you. We’ll follow your instructions how to proceed.”

  “Remember,” said the alien. “You must not scan the system. It may make the whole react violently.”

  “We’re exiting the jump,” said Kevin. PHOENIX exited its jump right outside the Ni star system.

  “Don’t conduct any scans,” said John to Alex’sis. “But keep the sensors on standby.”

  Alex’sis only nodded as Julie retreated to the communications station.

  “Any transmissions coming through?” Julie asked Bret.

  The young man checked his console. “Communications dish isn’t picking up anything coming in.”

  “There is no need for your transmission equipment,” said the alien. “The whole already knows of our presence.”

  “Are you in contact with them?” asked John.

  “No.”

  “Captain,” said Thresha. “I am sensing a significant presence out there. The emotional state is hard to describe, but it is intense.” Thresha became dizzy and faltered in her steps. Drix quickly grabbed her and held her up.

  “You are overwhelmed,” said Drix.

  “I am alright,” said the Aldarian. “The intensity of their emotions caught me off guard.”

  “Do they mean us harm?” asked John.

  “I cannot say,” said Thresha. “It is difficult to put their feelings into words.”

  “The whole will not harm your vessel as long as I am on board,” said the alien.

  “What about after you leave?” asked Alex’sis.

  “I can assure you if they have any intention of harming you, I will not leave this vessel,” said the alien.

  John’s concern was eased by the alien’s proclamation, but they still weren’t sure how the Ni would treat them.

  “Captain, look,” said Julie, pointing to the windows.

  A white light began to emanate from outside, whitening the black landscape of space. The light seemed to be coming from all around them. Soon, they couldn’t see anything looking out the windows, but the light’s intensity wasn’t painful on their eyes.

  “You have approached our territory in possession of a part of our whole,” boomed a loud, commanding voice. “State your intentions.”

  John was caught off-guard by the voice that seemed to come from all around them. He had a million questions running through his head. How were they speaking English to them? How were they projecting verbal communication inside the ship? But he pushed those questions out of his head to deal with the situation at hand.

  “I’m Captain John Roberts of the human vessel PHOENIX and our intentions are harmless. We came here to return one of your own we found during a routine survey of a moon.”

  “John Roberts speaks the truth,” said their alien guest.

  “Why do you converse with us using such primitive communication?” boomed the voice. “We wish to meld and learn of your time away from us.”

  “I will not link to the whole in the presence of these organic creatures,” said the alien. “Whatever is to be said can be stated openly. There is nothing to hide from these people who rescued me.”

  “Your time away from us has not subdued those deviant thoughts that drove you away from us,” said the voice.

  “I will meld with the whole, but not while in the presence of these creatures,” said the alien. “There are other matters that must be addressed. These creatures saved me from imprisonment by another race, a race that threatens everyone on this vessel and who mean harm to anyone who crosses their path.”

  “This does not surprise us,” replied the voice. “You did not listen when we said that the universe is filled with nothing but peril.”

  “The Screen represent only a small fraction of the universe,” said the alien. “These creatures risked themselves to save me, and have shown me nothing but kindness since I have been on board. Their actions prove that there are wonders to be uncovered in the universe.”

  The Ni didn’t immediately respond. John wanted to say something, but chose to remain silent, not wanting to utter something that could upset them.

  “Captain John Roberts of the human vessel PHOENIX,” said the voice. “We extend our gratitude for y
ou returning our wayward part to us and for the treatment you have shown to it. For that, we will allow your vessel to leave intact. However, we will not be so accommodating if you return.”

  That wasn’t the thank you John was expecting.

  “Ni collective,” said Thresha. “If Drix and I, who are both not of human origin, could impart to you our experiences with the humans, you would realize there is much that can be learned from them.”

  “We have no interest in the affairs of outsiders,” boomed the voice, sounding angry. “We have given our gratitude, but our patience wears thin. You have five of your measured minutes to say your goodbyes to our part. Do not squander it.”

  With that, the voice said nothing more and the white light disappeared, the windows showing the familiar backdrop of space again.

  “Did I say something wrong?” said John.

  “No,” said the Ni alien. “I did not anticipate the level of resistance the whole would exhibit. It also did not help that I refused to link with them when it was requested.”

  “Why did you not want to link with your people?” asked Thresha.

  “A lifetime of conversations can be traversed in mere seconds,” said the alien. “I realized it will take time to disseminate and explain my experiences to them. If I linked with them now, they could draw inaccurate conclusions about you and the Screen. It could justify their resistance to interact with outsiders. It may take a millennium, but I must convince them that exploration outside our system is a worthwhile endeavor.”

  The gas alien floated towards John. “I deeply regret that you could not establish a relationship with the whole.”

  “It’s not your fault,” said John, who couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice. “We’ll honor your people’s request and not return, but if we learn anything new about the Screen, I will send the information to you, just in case.”

  “Your generosity is appreciated,” said the alien as it floated to the center of the pit. “You have given me experiences I will forever cherish and I do hope that this will not be our last encounter.”

  Several small white lights shimmered around the alien, followed by a quick flash. When it dissipated, the alien was gone, having teleported from the ship.

  “So that’s it?” said Bret.

  “There’s nothing more we can accomplish here,” said John. He looked at Kevin. “Set a course away from here.”

  PHOENIX moved away from the Ni star system and initiated a jump. It didn’t take long for word about what happened with the Ni to circulate around the ship. A few hours later there was a gathering of individuals in the bowels of the ship, in one of the many maintenance corridors not frequented by the crew.

  Fifteen men and three women were gathered for a clandestine meeting. The meeting was being headed by an unknown individual, wearing a camouflage device that bent the light around him. To anyone looking at the individual, all they saw was a distorted shadow.

  “Thank you for coming on short notice,” said the mysterious host. “I would have hoped the situation on PHOENIX would have improved, but it seems the captain has made his intentions quite clear.”

  “You’re talking about what happened with the Ni?” said Jeremy. “I heard he completely bungled the first contact.”

  “Isn’t that good?” said Larry. “I thought we didn’t want any more aliens on the ship.”

  “The Ni have their own world and would not have had any incentive to join the ship,” said Sally Giffin, one of the nurses. “From what Doctor Myers told me, the alien we rescued said his race had advanced technology.”

  “Technology that could have given us a distinct advantage over the Screen,” said the mysterious host. “But since Captain Roberts foiled the first meeting with them and PHOENIX was ordered never to return to the Ni star system, we’ve lost a potentially powerful ally.”

  “So the captain means to keep us out here forever,” said Larry in a despondent tone.

  “Something has to be done if we’re to have any hope of returning home,” said Professor Donavin.

  “Agreed,” said their host. “It’s time to take some action.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  It was only 1100 hours, but Doctor Myers had already been working for over six hours. He was in autopsy located in medical, looking at the dead Screen laying in front of him. The armor had proven to be quite a challenge to open and Myers had scrutinized every detail of it trying to find a way to open it. So far, detailed scans yielded no clue how to open the armor. At times the doctor became so frustrated he was tempted to use a high powered laser scalpel to crack it open. But the process would irreparably damage the armor and risk destroying any organic tissue inside. If they had another Screen body, he would take the chance. But it took months to acquire this one and who knew when they would encounter the Screen again.

  A tap on the glass window got Myers attention. He looked up to see Chris Anne, dressed up in a checkerboard outfit, which included a checkerboard patterned wig, waving at him. The doctor motioned him to come in.

  Chris Anne entered autopsy carrying coffee and a doughnut. “Nurse Fieldman says you’ve been in here all morning. I thought you could use a break.”

  “Thank you,” said Myers as he took the cup and sipped the coffee.

  “How’s it going?”

  “I thought I came up with an idea how to open the Screen armor, but it did not work.”

  “So our dead friend still refuses to give up the goods?” said Chris as he looked at the body on the table.

  Myers went over to the wall monitor which showed scans of the armor. “I’ve gone over every inch of the armor and can’t find so much of a seam or locking mechanism. Whatever is used to encase our friend here, it’s more advanced than what we have.”

  “You’ll figure it out, doc,” said Chris in an optimistic tone. “It may take some time.”

  All of the sudden, the alarm blared.

  “Explosion in chemistry lab four, medical team respond,” said the computer. “Alert! Explosion in chemistry lab four.”

  Myers went into action and headed out of autopsy, Chris following right behind. The medical staff was already getting their gear together.

  “Command deck to medical,” said the voice of Alex’sis over the speakers.

  “This is Myers.”

  “Doctor, preliminary information shows the lab has been sealed. All but three people were able to get out. Fire suppression has failed but we’ve aborted backup vacuum procedures. There’s still a fire raging in the lab and we may not be able to avoid vacuuming it.”

  “Understood, my team’s on their way,” said Myers as he finished checking his medical bag as some of his team headed out.

  “What can I do?” asked Chris.

  “I expect they’ll be some scared people at the lab,” said Myers. “I’ll need you to do what you can to calm them.”

  A few minutes later the medical team, and Chris, arrived outside the lab to find several people in the corridor being tended to by coworkers. The doctors and nurses wasted no time assessing the situation and prioritizing who needed treatment.

  “I still have people in there,” said one of the scientists who grabbed Myers by the arm. “You’ve got to help them.”

  Before Myers could react, Chris stepped in, gently peeling the man’s hands off the doctor. “Doctor Myers will help them, sweetie, don’t you worry. His team needs to know who’s seriously hurt here. Why don’t you help me.”

  Myers couldn’t have been more relieved to have Chris there to diffuse a chaotic situation. He looked at the lab door and saw smoke billowing from it. Apparently, the force field that should have erected in front of the door had failed.

  “Myers to command deck. Can I get a status of the fire in the lab?”

  “Video is down, but sensors show the fire is pretty much out,” said Alex’sis through the doctor’s pip. “We’re picking up two pips inside the lab but can’t get any life sign readings.”

  “Standby, lieute
nant,” said Myers. “Computer, open door to chem lab four. Chief medical officer voice authorization.”

  “Acknowledged,” said the computer. The field dropped and the door slowly opened. Myers had to wave the smoke coming out, but after a few moments it cleared up and he proceeded inside.

  The lab was in shambles, chairs and equipment scattered everywhere. Myers didn’t have to look far before finding the source of the two pips. He didn’t have to check for life signs, the condition of the bodies told the grim tale.

  “Myers to command deck,” said the doctor. “We have two casualties in the lab.”

  “Understood doctor,” said Alex’sis. “Let us know what you need down there.”

  By the end of the day, Myers was sitting on the couch in the captain’s office resting from long hours of work. He gave the captain his preliminary report, which John was reading over.

  “Will all of the survivors pull through?” asked John.

  “One’s in critical condition, but she’s been responding well to treatment and I’m confident she’ll survive,” said Myers.

  “I see we had an Aldarian among the injured,” said John.

  “Zeven. His injuries were minor, which is lucky for him as the explosion came from his station. He was fortunate he wasn’t working at his station when the explosion occurred.”

  John poured them both a glass of water and joined the doctor on the couch. “The lab’s been sealed off and security is conducting their investigation. Hopefully, we should have some answers in a few days.”

  “I must say I’m surprised that one even occurred,” said Myers. “The scientists are seasoned veterans and know protocol surrounding the handling of dangerous chemicals.”

  “It probably was a simple, but tragic, mistake,” said John. “Did you know any of the deceased?”

  “I met Regina at one of the EXODUS Project’s holiday parties. She was a typical scientist, only interested in conversation relating to her field. I never met George, but I heard he was an excellent poker player. You?”