The Phoenix Project (49 page)

    
“Ma’am,” Phelps said from his place at the
right side of the command chair, “can I have a moment?”

    
“Not a good time, Commander.”

    
“It’s urgent.”

    
“Alright, make it quick.”

    
“Are you planning on destroying those
fighters?” Phelps whispered once he had closed to within a foot of her.

    
“I wasn’t planning on just swearing at
them.”

    
“May I remind you of Admiral Nelson’s orders
to avoid any fatalities on either side?” Phelps asked.

    
Maria swiveled her head towards him in
response and looked back at him with her electronic eye.

    
“No, you can’t, Commander. Deaths can’t be
avoided at this point.”

    
“You know that’s not true Maria. The
particle grid can be adjusted with pinpoint accuracy. The fighters can just as
easily be disabled.”

    
“Screw the grid.” Maria began to turn away
to issue further orders to her tactical officer. In an almost violent gesture,
Ben Phelps grabbed her by the arm with a firm grip and swung her back towards
him.

    
Maria kept herself in check and resisted
the impulse to slap him for his presumption. The cold stare from a single green
eye nearly penetrated Phelps’ skull, but she said nothing.

    
“I am not going to lose the finest officer
I have ever served with at another Court Martial that she would certainly lose
this time.”

    
The statement stopped her desire for
vengeance. He continued to stare back at her in silence while she felt her
conviction begin to slip away.

    
“Flattery?” Maria said. “Well, I guess it’s
better than threatening me with relief of my command.”

    
“I wouldn’t have to do that because you
know better.”

    
“You have more confidence in me than I do
then,” Maria said and then raised her voice the rest of the crew. “Weapons, arm
the primary grid and set it for twenty simultaneous pulses. Adjust their
strength to
disable
the Coalition fighters.”

    
“Yes, Admiral,” the Weapons Officer said.

    
“Now,” Maria said looking to Phelps, “can I
have my arm back?”

    
“Right away, Ma’am,” he replied, releasing
his grip on her.

    
“How far are the Ferine ships from weapon’s
range?” Maria asked the weapons officer.

    
“Thirty seconds.”

    
Maria released a sigh of exasperation when
she saw the olive colored enemy fighters racing to catch up with the alien
ships. Flashes of distant light began to appear.

    
“Come on Elliot,” she said while she
scrutinized the main screen.

    
The stern shields of both Ferine ships
glowed orange and green from the flashing impacts of the Coalition fighters’
torpedoes and Particle Beam Cannons. Elliot could feel the slight shudders through
the ship from the concussive impact of Coalition weapons.

    
“What are we at now?” Elliot asked Lathiel.

    
“One quarter strength. The shield will fail
very soon.”

    
“Can you get any more power into them?”

    
“I don’t think so, but I’ll check again,”
Lathiel replied. He checked through the ship’s power supplies in an attempt to
find even a single Watt of power he could use to reinforce the failing stern
shield.

    
“Helm, how long until we arrive at the
coordinates I gave you?”

    
“Another twenty seconds,” the worried
helmsman replied.

    
“Helm, if you have any extra speed, now is
the time,” Elliot said.

    
“We’re at maximum,” the helmsman said.

    
Elliot felt a much harsher shudder from the
impact of another torpedo hit.

    
“That’s it,” Lathiel said and looked up to
Elliot, “the rear shield is gone.”

    
Another explosive hit caused the ship to
groan in response. The shockwave of the blast traveled through the vessel and
forced Elliot to gain what balance he could from the armrest of Lathiel’s
chair.

    
“How long until we’re in range?”

    
“Now!” the helmsman exclaimed.

    
Elliot looked for the
Excalibur
on
the primary monitor. He saw a distant bubble of emerald color explode into
several smaller bolts and speed past the edges of the screen.

    
All twenty Coalition fighters took the
direct hit of a precise particle pulse. To the shock of the pilots, their
shields overloaded on impact and the blast continued on to sweep across every hull.
They saw all of their displays and controls emit sparks and go dark. The twenty
ships were left with little more power than to prevent their pilots from dying.
Inertia carried the ships forward at their fantastic speeds but, although they
continued to keep up with the Ferine ships, the pilots could do little more
than watch their progress.

    
Within a minute Elliot could see the great
white bird—like hull of the
Excalibur
coming into view. As they were
instructed, the pilots of each vessel brought their ships under each wing of
the warship.

    
“Thanks for the help,” Maria heard Elliot
say over the intercom.

    
“Not a problem. Are you ready for an escort
home?”

    
“Just say when.”

    
“The sooner we get going the better. Have
your helmsmen link your navigational systems with ours for synchronized
launch.”

    
“Right away. Signing off,” Elliot said and
closed the channel.

    
Excalibur
entered the Solar system
nearly ninety minutes after leaving the Waypoint Station. Once they went to sub—light,
the Ferine ships left the protected positions they had taken underneath the
Excalibur’s
wings and took up new positions on either side of the prototype.

    
“We’ve decided to leave,” the
Explorer’s
Captain, Danniack said, unable to look Lathiel in the eye.

    
“That is exactly what the Coalition wants.”

    
“The Alliance
and its people are now our comrades,” Danniack said, “but we’ve had our fill.
Lathiel, a lot of the people here have gone through hell these past few days.
They need to rest at their homes with their families.”

    
“Things may not be any safer on Cartise.”

    
“But our friends and families are there. At
least we can take some comfort in that. Besides,” Danniack said finally meeting
his gaze, “your ship will still be here as well as your crew.”

    
“I can’t talk you out of this?”

    
“No, we voted on the way back. Nearly
everyone wants to return home.”

    
“Okay, when do you leave?” Lathiel asked
with a slight sound of disappointment in his voice.

    
“As soon as you disembark. The helmsman
already has the course for Cartise set.”

    
“Then we won’t keep you. We’ll take a
shuttle back to the
Excalibur
, if that’s alright with you Elliot,”
Lathiel said.

    
“My mission’s accomplished. I’m ready when
you are,” Elliot responded.

    
“Admiral, I and my crew would feel better
if your squad of troops remained aboard,” Danniack said.

    
“All the way to Cartise?”

    
“Many more of your people are coming,
aren’t they?” Danniack asked.

    
“That’s true. If it makes our new allies
feel safer, then the soldiers can remain.”

    
Lathiel smiled warmly and growled in
respect for his friend and counterpart before turning away and leaving the
bridge with Elliot and Madison behind him.

    
They returned to the
Excalibur
and
saw a shuttle leave the
Wanderer
as well. Both shuttles entered the
large primary bay on the Alliance
ship. Elliot wasn’t surprised to see Joshua and Ranik leave the adjacent
shuttle that landed seconds before theirs.

    
“Thrown off your ship, too?” Joshua asked
once he stepped out onto the deck of the
Excalibur
.

    
“In a way,” Elliot replied. “They’ve
decided to return to Cartise.”

    
“Deja—vu,” Joshua said.

    
“The
Wanderer
is leaving?” Elliot
asked.

    
“You got it. They want to go home; the
soldiers are supposed to follow us on the next shuttle.”

    
“Tell the squad to stay. Danniack requested
the soldiers on their ship remain behind. The other squad may as well do the
same.”

    
“Right away,” Joshua said. He activated his
earpiece and walked away, appearing to have a conversation with empty space.

    
“Let’s go home,” Elliot said to the rest of
the group.

    
Nadine’s first stop after arriving at
Phoenix Base was to venture to Elliot’s quarters. He answered the calling bell
immediately.

    
“I thought you might show up here.”

    
“Elliot, I,” she started and then looked to
her uniformed escort holding a rifle. “I wanted to talk to you.”

    
Elliot nodded to the soldier who
acknowledged the sign and left for parts unknown.

    
“Come in.”

    
Nadine entered his quarters and sat at a
dinette set nearly identical to the one in his quarters aboard the
Endeavour
.

    
“You came back. You could have just as
easily stayed,” Elliot said once they were seated.

    
“Stayed with MERA, you mean.”

    
“Yeah, I suppose so.”

    
“Can you give a woman a drink?”

    
“I can give you vodka, but I also have,”
Elliot said and paused.

    
“Have what?”

    
“Well, Ranik gave me another bottle of Ruby
Brandy after the mission.”

    
“For its success?”

    
“No, he said it was for our success.”

    
“Smart old cat. Can I have a double?”

    
“Sure. I could use one too,” he said and
exited the room for the kitchen. Within a moment of Nadine’s reverie for the
events of the last few days, he returned with two small glasses filled with a glowing
liquid.

    
“Cheers,” he said and set down the drinks.
The two clinked glasses and emptied the contents. “Another?”

    
Nadine looked to her empty glass and held
it up for more. Elliot left for the kitchen and returned a moment later with
the rest of the bottle of glowing liquid.

    
“I think we could both use it.”

    
Nadine nodded her head and Elliot filled
her glass up and then his.

    
He took a long intake of the liquor. “I
didn’t want you to go back.”

    
“You really didn’t,” she said and looked
into his eyes, “did you?”

    
“You’re really that surprised?”

    
“I guess I’m surprised that you cared that
much,” she said and immediately responded to his furrowed brow. “It’s not that
I couldn’t believe you would care that much but that anyone would. I’ve always
been a soldier. MERA had me under their training since I was born. I’ve always
been their child. I was just surprised that someone else cared when all of my
colleagues are more fellow soldiers
 
rather than friends.”

    
“I understand.”

    
“I was glad they sent me back. I have some
protection here, I think, and I am really happy to see you again.”

    
“Same here.”